Once a Patriot
by Miss Sofie
Summary: Major Benjamin Tallmadge has never been very good with ladies. His skills in that direction don't exactly improve, when his men find a suspicious looking female in the woods, and he has to search her and question her to make sure she's not an enemy spy. She doesn't make it any easier for him, and neither does that fact that he's beginning to feel attracted to her. Ben/OC
1. The Girl with the Familiar Eyes

**Author Note:**

This chapter has been replaced. I was supposed to add new chapters a couple of times a week, but something came up, and so I didn't. Instead I've had plenty of time to edit, so I'm going to replace the first three chapters before adding new ones. This time, however, I _will_ post new chapters regularly.

English is not my first language. If you notice any awkward errors, please let me know.

Also, this is a romance fic - not a documentary. I _have_ tried to do some research, though. :)

I don't know what's going on with the line spacing, it seems like the site changes it quite a bit during upload, but I'll do my best to make it look normal after upload.

Oh, and BTW, the story was written and is set sometime after season 2.

Enjoy reading! :)

* * *

 _Replaced chapter_

 **# 1 - The Girl with the Familiar Eyes**

 _Ben's POV_

"What's this?" Ben asked annoyed as he entered the marquee. It was one of two marquees in the camp. This one was used for gathering the officers and giving commands, writing letters, gathering intelligence, and other paperwork. The other one held his own, private quarters.  
The sight that met him took him quite by surprise. Two of his young soldiers were hurting a lady, apparently on purpose. One of them was holding onto her brown hair in a very violent way, and she let out a cry of pain.

"Let go of her! Now!" Ben demanded, shocked to find that his subordinates would treat a lady this way.  
"But, sir…" The one holding her said, but he did let go of her hair.  
"But what?" Ben thundered and made the man shut up.  
"My apologies, Miss…?" He addressed the young woman, who looked shocked and upset, her gown in a most alarming state. It might have been a pale yellow once, but it definitely wasn't anymore. It had been torn in several places, revealing more than what was decent. And, probably due to the soldiers, the woman's hair was in a mess, too.  
"Abbott." She replied with a quick glance at him, before she let down her eyes again.  
"Miss Abbott. This is _not_ the way we tend to treat ladies." Ben said and beckoned her to sit down on a wooden chair by a desk. "My apologies on behalf of my men. Are you unharmed?"  
"Yes, thank you." She said, still not looking up at him.  
"But, sir…" One of the soldiers tried again. "She's a spy. A traitor."  
"And how exactly do you know this?" Ben asked with an annoyed sigh. He very much doubted that the soldier was right.  
"She was walking in the woods this morning, hiding when she saw us. No lady would walk around alone in the woods."  
Ben stared at the young man trying to intimidate him and waiting for him to realize his mistake.  
"…sir." The latter finally added, and made Ben chuckle inside, though the situation was far from laughable.  
"And that's your proof? She was alone in the woods?"  
"Yes." The soldier replied. "…sir."  
"Does she look like a spy to you?"  
"No, sir, but even though you may not believe it, women can be spies, too." He looked at his feet, probably afraid that he had spoken out of line. "Sorry, sir."  
Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but he did give another sigh. "I know they can. In fact, they make great spies."  
He could've kicked himself at that very moment. He didn't know for sure that she wasn't a spy, and he definitely shouldn't let her in on secrets such as him knowing about female spies.  
"Jones, go get Brewster." He told the quiet soldier standing by the entrance. The other one he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I'll deal with you later."  
"Miss Abbott." He then addressed the woman with a small smile and an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, but I hope you understand that we'll need to ask you a few questions before we let you go."  
She looked up a little too quickly for Ben not to notice, as if she was about to object. She didn't say a word, though. She just looked away again and nodded.  
She looked frightened. But why would she be?

"Missed me, Tall Boy?" Lieutenant Caleb Brewster's voice reached Ben from the entrance. Only then did Caleb notice the upset woman looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh. My apologies, miss."  
He eyed Ben with a questioning frown.  
"Caleb, this is Miss Abbott. Jones and Ryan found her wandering in the woods." Ben explained. "Miss Abbott, Lieutenant Brewster is my personal friend, and he'll make sure no harm will come to you while you're here."  
She nodded in reply, unable to speak. Her eyes were blank, and Ben was afraid she'd start crying in a moment. He had no idea how to deal with a crying woman, so he crossed his fingers that it wouldn't happen.  
"Alright. What'd you want me to do, Major?" Caleb asked with a twinkle in his eye. Obviously, he found the situation amusing.  
Ben thought about the options for a moment.  
"Keep an eye on Miss Abbot while I move our…paperwork…to my own quarters. And make sure she gets something to eat and drink." He looked at the young lady, hoping that the thought of food would lift her spirits a little. "Have you had anything to eat today, miss?"  
"A little." She replied quietly, but she seemed a little less scared than a moment ago.  
"Yes, sir." Caleb said and sent Ben a teasing smile. The only reason why he would call him _sir_ , was the fact that they were in the company of a woman. And probably a beautiful one, had she been dressed better.  
"Oh, and Caleb…" Ben added, opening the desk drawer to take the letters and other papers with him. "Find her a new gown."  
"A new...? Where am I supposed to find a gown in this camp?"  
"You'll figure something out." Ben replied and sent a teasing smile back at him. "Miss Abbott, please excuse me for a while. I'll make sure to check back on you later."  
"Thank you, Major." She replied and made Ben hesitate for a moment. Then he withdrew with a courteous nod at her and left it to Caleb to look after her.

When Ben, less than an hour later, returned to Miss Abbott's temporary quarters, Caleb was waiting outside.  
"Is she ready for questioning yet?" Ben asked, more concerned about her being dressed properly than about her mental state.  
"As ready as she's gonna get." Caleb replied.  
"Good. And If she is, indeed, a spy, I want two men guarding her. I'm not gonna take any chances."  
"And her safety doesn't matter the slightest bit to you?" Caleb teased.  
"That, too." Ben replied rolling his eyes at his friend. "That's why they can't be just anyone."  
"I'm on it, Benny." Caleb said and left.  
"Miss Abbott?" Ben asked before entering the marquee. "May I come in?"  
"Uh…Yes." She replied from inside, and Ben entered.

Caleb _had_ been able to find her a gown, though Ben had no idea how. She was looking a lot better than an hour ago. The new gown (which was, in fact, very far from new, but at least it was in a much better state than the one she had been wearing when the soldiers found her) was a pale rose, and she looked very lady-like, now that her hair had been put back in place, too. Ben also thought her cheeks looked rosier than before. Healthier.  
"Have you had anything to eat yet, Miss Abbott?" He asked, trying not to make the atmosphere too tense.  
"Yes. Thank you." She replied. She was standing upright, and clearly, she was not sure, whether she should sit down or keep standing.  
"Please." He said and beckoned her to sit down in the one chair in the marquee. When she did, he sat down on a small, wooden stool opposite her.  
"Miss Abbott…" Ben began, clearing his throat. "Can you tell me what you were doing alone in the woods?"  
"I was just…walking." She replied. She looked up at him for a moment, before she looked away again.  
"Just walking… Hm… And where were you going?"  
"I wanted to visit a friend. It's faster to go through the woods."  
"But if you were just visiting a friend, then how did your clothes become so ragged?"  
"Well, that would have been your soldiers' doing, Major." She replied and looked reproachfully at Ben. Was she angry or was she just trying to get the better of him? To control the situation? If she was, it was working.  
"Oh, of course. I'm very sorry about that." Ben replied and blushed. "I'll see to it that their treatment of you will have consequences."  
"Thank you."  
Ben continued less agitated.  
"But how come you didn't bring anyone with you? I mean, in times like these, ladies should always be accompanied by someone to protect them."  
"I've walked through the woods to visit my friend since I was a young girl, Major. Why would I stop now?"  
"Because there's a war going on? And do your parents even now about you being out on your own?"  
She didn't reply. She didn't look up, either.  
"Miss Abbott, if that really _is_ your name? How old are you? 18? 19?"  
"21." She replied and looked up at Ben from beneath long, dark brown lashes. There was something familiar about them.  
"I take it, at your age you would still be living with your parents? Or with a relative, at least. Unless you're married, of course. Would that be fair to assume?"  
"I suppose it would." She replied looking down again.  
"Then help me out, please, because I can't find any Abbotts anywhere around. In fact, there's no one within 30 miles from here."  
"That's strange."  
"Yes. That's very strange, indeed." Ben sighed. "So would you care to tell me your real name and what you were doing in the woods?"  
"I already told you." She complained and looked Ben in the eye. She looked almost panic-stricken like all of a sudden. "I was going to visit a friend. I'm telling you the truth!"  
"Alright. Please, miss, calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."  
"I'm not a spy, if that's what you're thinking."  
"Okay. I may believe you. But I can't let you go until I'm sure. And I can't be sure when you won't tell me the truth. Nor your real name."  
She didn't reply. She just looked pleadingly at him with her familiar, green eyes. The color, the surroundings, the small wrinkles in the corners - he knew them. But where had he seen her before?  
"Ben, a minute?" Caleb's voice interrupted Ben's thoughts. He got up to go talk to him.  
"Please, excuse me." He said with a nod at the young lady, whose name was definitely not Abbott.

"According to Jones and Ryan she was carrying this." Caleb said when Ben got outside. He was holding a traveling bag made of dark leather. It was empty.  
"What was in it?"  
"Food, they say."  
"And where's that food now?"  
"They split it and ate it."  
"Seriously? I know we're low on food supplies, but no one here is starving!" Ben said angrily. "What kind of food?"  
"Bread, beef, cheese… Food for traveling. There was probably enough to last 3 or 4 days, they said."  
"Okay, so she was definitely going on a longer journey. Did they find anything else in it? A letter? Intelligence of any kind?"  
"No. Nothing."  
"Did they find anything _on_ her?"  
"I think they were trying to search her when you walked in on them."  
"They were hurting her!" Ben complained before he continued. "So she hasn't been searched yet. I should've thought of it."  
"Yeah. You should."  
"Would you…?"  
"No. That's your own headache." Caleb chuckled.  
Ben sighed. He could have someone else do a body search of her, but he knew very well that most of the men would take advantage of the situation and touch her more than necessary. Though he didn't exactly like the thought of searching her himself, it was the only right thing to do.  
"Alright. You search the clothes she was wearing and make sure she hasn't reached hiding anything in the desk drawer or behind the canvas or someplace else. And I'll…" He trailed off.  
"Good boy!" Caleb said amused and padded Ben's shoulder, entering the marquee with him.

The young lady was still sitting where Ben had left her.  
"You were carrying this." He said and held up the bag for her to see. She didn't reply. "Food to last a few days. Now, tell me again, how far away does that friend of yours live?"


	2. Awkward

_Replaced chapter_

 **# 2 - Awkward**

 _Ben's POV_

"I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid I'll have to search you." Ben said, his cheeks turning pink very rapidly.  
"Search me?" The woman, who still refused to tell him her name, asked with eyes wide from surprise.  
"Yes, but I won't enjoy it any more than you will, so let's get it over with, shall we?" Ben replied and motioned for her to stand up.  
"He _is_ telling you the truth." Caleb chuckled from the other end of the marquee. He was looking through the gown she had been wearing, when she arrived in camp. "He'll be so embarrassed that you'll…"  
"Caleb!" Ben shut him up. "Would you mind?"  
"Oh, you want me to leave, sir?" Caleb teased.  
"You're staying. And that's an order!" Ben replied with a very annoyed look at Caleb. "And you're keeping your mouth shut!"  
Caleb just laughed.  
"Don't mind him." Ben told the young woman. "Now, will you hold out your arms, please?"

Major Benjamin Tallmadge was a very decent man. He wasn't one to deal with ladies in the way that most unmarried men sometimes would. He hadn't kissed a girl since he was sixteen, and that was some years ago. He was too preoccupied with his military duty, he told himself, and, besides, he was the son of a reverend. He couldn't fool around with women, and he also didn't want to. They made him feel very insecure.  
All of his men knew this, so they would use every opportunity they got to make him feel uncomfortable. If they were at a tavern after a long journey, they would do their best to get him drunk, and they would pay the women there to surround him and touch him, sit on his lap, try to kiss him, and stuff like that. He would most often retire early. Not because he didn't want to drink with his men, but because he felt too uncomfortable around the women.  
Maybe he should just get it over with?

"I do believe you're blushing, Major." Caleb's voice brought him back to reality. He had been searching the lady's arms, not trying to think too much about his hands on her body. At least there were still a few layers of fabric between his hands and her skin.  
"Thank you, Caleb." Ben replied with a roll of his eyes, and moved his hands to the upper part of her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She obviously didn't feel very comfortable, either.  
He hurried his hands down to her waist, not touching her too much on the way. How much could she have hidden underneath those skirts? Well, probably a lot.  
He sighed, which made Miss Abbott open her eyes and look straight into his. Even though she was not as tall as he was, their faces were very close to each other, as Ben was bending a little in order to reach down. For a moment, they locked gazes, until Ben turned his face away and let his hands run further down her gown.

Caleb was quiet. No doubt, he was watching and grinning. Ben didn't dare look at him. Then something even more embarrassing occurred to him. She could've something hidden in her stockings!  
"Ehm…" He tried. Then he cleared his throat. "Would you mind…" He stood upright again, facing her.  
She looked questioningly at him. Her cheeks were a becoming pink.  
"Would you…" He tried again. "Would you take off your stockings, please?"  
"Would I…?" She looked shocked.  
"Well, it's either that or I…"  
Caleb gave a loud laugh and continued rummaging around, searching the desk drawers and anywhere else she could've hid something.  
"Oh. Of course." She replied and turned around. "Would you…?"  
"Of course." Ben said and turned his back to her.  
"No,that's not good enough." Caleb interrupted, suddenly being serious, and made both of them look at him in surprise. "How'd you know that she's not hiding anything from you while you got your back against her?"  
Caleb was right, of course. Ben had to watch.  
"I don't supposed you would…?" Ben tried, but he already knew the answer.  
"As much as I'd love to watch a lady take off her stockings, that's your job, Major, not mine."  
He walked towards the exit, but Ben caught his arm on the way.  
"You're staying." The latter hissed, trying not to watch too closely while Miss Abbott, or whatever her name was, took off her stockings.  
"I can't wait to tell everyone about this." Caleb chuckled back, but at least he stayed. "By the way. Nothing in her clothes. Or anywhere else in here."

Ben and Caleb watched the girl take off her stockings. Once they had made sure that she wasn't hiding anything, they gave her a minute alone to get properly dressed again. Ben needed some air, too. His cheeks still felt warm, so he figured his face was still a very dark pink. He took off his coat to cool down. There was a chill in the air, but he didn't feel it.  
"You ready for the second round?" Caleb asked after a couple of minutes. Ben nodded, and they went back inside to continue questioning the girl.

#

"You've got to give me something." Ben asked with a sigh. The woman opposite him still didn't say much. Had she been a man, they probably would've used other methods. "I can't help you, if you won't tell me anything."  
She, too, sighed. Then, finally, she spoke.  
"My first name is Lavinia. I'm afraid that's the only name I can give you."  
"So you're not Miss Lavinia Abbott?"  
She looked away.  
"I take that as a _no_."  
Caleb was standing close to the exit. He hadn't said anything for a while, but Ben knew he was listening.  
"And why is it that you can't tell me your family name?" Ben continued.  
"What would you do to my family if I did tell you?" She looked up at him. Scared.  
"That would depend on what else you'd tell me. Or what you've done."  
"Exactly. I can't know for sure that you won't hurt them."

Ben sighed again. She was right. If she turned out to be a spy, which he very much doubted, she put her family's lives in jeopardy as well as her own. And as long as he didn't know for sure that she wasn't a spy, she'd better not tell him her family name. Well, seen from her point of view, of course. _He_ had to try to find out, anyway.

"Can you tell us where you're from? Not your family name. Just… Give us something. Anything."  
"Setauket." It was barely a whisper.  
"Pardon?" Ben asked with a frown. He thought he saw Caleb stir, but the move was so vague that he couldn't tell for sure.  
"I'm from Setauket." She said again. "I grew up there."  
Ben looked up at Caleb, who looked back at him with an almost invisible shake of his head.  
"Now, Miss…Lavinia," Ben said and did his best to sound unhappy with the situation. "It makes me very sad that you're telling me this, because now I have no other choice than to keep you here. You see, Caleb here…" He nodded in direction of Caleb. "…and I grew up in Setauket. And you didn't. We would've remembered."  
For a split second, her eyes darted from Ben to Caleb and then back to Ben again. She looked horrified. Then she looked away.  
"We're not going to hurt you. But we also can't let you go." Ben said and got up. "We'll give you some time to collect yourself. If you want to talk, tell it to one of the soldiers outside, and he'll come fetch me. You'll have everything you need to eat and drink, and if there's anything else, have one of the men outside call on me. Understood?"  
She nodded. Ben couldn't tell if she looked relieved or scared. Her eyes were blank.  
"Alright, please excuse us."  
Caleb left the marquee and Ben followed. The latter gave a small, courteous bow at Lavinia, before they let the entrance canvas fall down in place again.

"I want two men guarding her quarters day and night." Ben said when they got outside. "Jennings and Hodson are already here, who else can we spare?" He beckoned towards the two soldiers standing guard outside.  
"I'll find someone." Caleb more stated than offered.  
"Good. Find her a mattress, too. She may come around if she realizes that we're serious about it. If not, she'll need it for the nights, anyway. She's not leaving until I'm sure she won't compromise us."  
"I'm on it." Caleb replied and walked away hastily.

Ben walked to his own quarters and lay down on his primitive bed. He needed to think.  
The girl definitely hadn't grown up in Setauket, but she did seem familiar. Did she have family there? Lavinia… He didn't remember anyone having a relative with that name, but he also had no chance of remembering all relatives to everyone from Setauket. Maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe she was just twisting the truth?  
Had she been a man, that would've been considered lying, too, he reminded himself. He couldn't let her get away with it so easily just because she was woman. Not even if she was a very beautiful one. And she was. He was not unaware of that.  
Somehow, he had a feeling that he had met her before. Her eyes and the way she spoke seemed so familiar, and it reminded him of something nice and safe. He just couldn't remember what that something was.


	3. Patriot or Loyalist?

_Replaced chapter_

 **# 3 - Patriot or Loyalist?**

 _Ben's POV_

More than 24 hours later, Lavinia still hadn't called upon Ben to tell him anything further. He hadn't been to see her, as he thought it more likely that she would come around, if they would just leave her alone with her thoughts. She had been brought something to eat and drink, and she had been permitted outside to obey the call of nature (escorted by a guard), but apart from that, she had been confined to her temporary quarters.  
However, Ben was growing a little impatient, so he decided to give it another shot, although in a different way than before.

He would usually have his meals outside with his troops, but as he was the highest-ranking officer in the camp at this time, he would sometimes eat alone in his quarters. It was something about gaining respect and distancing himself from his subordinates. It wasn't his idea, though. He felt more respected when letting the men know that he was one of them, but a superior had once told him about the importance of standing out, if he wanted to be a good leader. The superior was probably right. Except… Ben was quite sure that he had been stripped of his title recently.

Anyway, on this night he thought it appropriate to have supper in his quarters, since he would have the company of a young lady. Either he could let her take all her meals alone in her own quarters, or he could let her eat with him. The latter didn't sound too bad, and if he played his cards well, he would be able to gather some information from her without her even realizing it.

"Miss Lavinia." He greeted her, as one of his men brought her to him. The table had been set, and a servant was nearby to serve them food and wine. Although soldiers didn't get much food these days, Ben had conjured up some potatoes to go with the usual beef and bread. He had also told the servant to make sauce from his (Ben's) personal supply of food. Being an officer, he did have an advantage, though he would usually not spend much on himself.  
"Major." Lavinia replied and gave him a small smile. Now that was progress.  
"I hope you find everything to your satisfaction? Please, take a seat."  
"Thank you." She said and sat down on the chair that he pulled out for her.  
He sat down opposite her, let the servant serve the meal, and encouraged her to begin eating.

"How do you find your quarters, Miss Lavinia?" He asked trying to think of topics to talk about. As he didn't know much about her, and she probably didn't want to tell him much, it wasn't easy.  
"They're fine…" She said and hesitated.  
"But…?"  
"Nothing. They're fine."  
"But time moves slowly when you can't leave?"  
"Yes." She replied shyly and looked away.  
"Are you fond of reading? I could probably find you some books, if you'd like?"  
"Yes, very much so!" She said eagerly and gave him the second smile that evening.  
"I'll make sure to have them brought to you no later than tomorrow morning."  
"Thank you, Major." She said and smiled again, though Ben wasn't sure if he was supposed to see it. She was looking at her plate.  
Well, at least she didn't seem hostile. That was a good start.  
"So, Miss Lavinia…" He tried. "Would you care to tell me a little bit about yourself? I'm not questioning you. You alone decide what you want to share."  
"Is this some sort of trick?" She asked puzzled, putting down her cutlery.  
"No, just conversation." He replied, a small smile playing on his lips.  
"You haven't poisoned my food?"  
Ben couldn't help but give a small laugh.  
"I assure you, miss, if I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead." He replied amusedly.  
"Oh." Was all she said before picking up her knife and fork again. "Alright. I'll tell you something, though I may regret it later."  
"I'm listening."

"I was born here." She began.  
"Here?"  
"In the United States."  
Spoken like a patriot, Ben noticed.  
"My father was British, my mother American. When I was 13, we left for England. London. My brother stayed at home to go to…" She hesitated for a moment, before she continued. "…Harvard, but I was supposed to get acquainted with people at the British court. Not the royal family, but close enough. My father believed that it would educate me, and my mother had hopes for me and a British lord." She took a sip of wine.  
"How did that go?" Ben asked, his brain processing the information she provided him with. United States. London. England. Harvard. Court. Lords… Somehow, parts of it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why.  
"Nothing came of it. We went home right when the lords began to show interest."  
"And you were then…how old?"  
"19. It was a little over two years ago."  
"What made your parents decide to leave?"  
"The revolution." She said blankly. "My father wanted to fight for the British, and he thought my brother would enlist with him. My brother wanted it otherwise, though. He wanted to fight on the other side."  
Ben thought he saw her eyes tearing up, but it was gone too quickly for him to be sure.  
"That can't have been very easy for your mother?"  
"It wasn't." She replied and then looked straight at him. "And now, Major, you're wondering about me. Which side am I on?"  
There was no hint of teasing in neither her voice nor her eyes.  
"I must admit that I do." Ben said and put down his cutlery waiting for her to go on.  
"Well… I'm on no one's side." She continued. "I just want peace. Whether you or the British will win this war… It's the same to me. I just want to live in peace and have my freedom."  
"But that's exactly what we're fighting for!" Ben exclaimed, his heart beating faster than a moment ago.  
"Yes…" Lavinia replied with a knowing smile. "But they do too, don't they?"  
"I'm sorry, miss." Ben said agitated. "But the British are trying to suppress us in our own country. How can you say they're fighting for our freedom?"  
"I doubt they see it that way."  
"Is there another way?" He asked concernedly. If anyone heard her talk like this…  
"There are always two sides to a story." She said and hesitated for a moment, as the servant poured her some more wine. "Surely, you must agree with me on that?"  
"I suppose I do." Ben mumbled, still concerned. Was she pro or against the British? She could be both. He would've said she was a patriot at first, but now? He wasn't so sure.

For a while, they ate in silence. Ben was trying to think of things to talk about, when Lavinia broke the silence.  
"I think it's your turn now, Major." She said with an encouraging smile at him.  
He looked at her questioningly.  
"To tell _me_ something." She explained. "I didn't even catch your name."  
"Oh, my apologies." Ben said embarrassed. "Tallmadge. Benjamin Tallmadge."  
"Major Benjamin Tallmadge. From Setauket, Long Island?"  
"That would be me, yes." Ben said feeling a familiar warmth in his cheeks.  
"And you grew up with Lieutenant Caleb Brewster?"  
"You're very good at gathering information, miss. Are you sure you're not a spy?" Ben had meant to tease her in a friendly manner, but as he watched her eyes grow wide with fear before she looked away, he realized his mistake.  
"I believe you _are_ questioning me, Major." She said quietly.  
"No, I'm sorry. I was only trying to…lift your spirits." He sighed. Well, that one didn't go as planned.  
"I'm afraid it didn't work." She replied with a small smile. "Apology accepted, though."  
"Then it can't have been a smile I just saw?" Ben asked teasingly, and earned another smile from her.  
"No, definitely not." She said and concentrated on her food. She was still smiling, though.

#

Later that night, long after a soldier had escorted Lavinia back to her own quarters, Ben went around camp collecting the books he could find. He would've had much more to choose from, had he been back with the rest of the army and the other officers, not to mention General Washington. For now, the books he _could_ find would have to do.  
"Miss Lavinia." He asked as he approached her marquee. "Are you still decent?"  
"Yes, but not for long." She replied. Her voice sounded confident from inside. Ben could feel his cheeks turning pink again.  
"Can I come in?"  
"I thought you were the one with the power to make decisions here." She teased when holding up the entrance canvas for him.  
Now that was quite a change. Had _he_ managed to lift her spirits like that?  
"I just thought I'd bring you these." He said and held up the books he was carrying. "I'm not sure if they're a suitable read for a lady, but I'm afraid they're all we've got at the moment."  
"They'll do just fine. Thank you for your consideration." She replied and took them eagerly, when Ben reached them over, accidentally touching his hands with hears. An awkward silence occurred, and when Ben excused himself a few moments later, he could still feel the warmth where her hands had touched.

 _Pull yourself together!_ He thought as he walked back to his quarters. But that was easier said than done.


	4. Something to Hide

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry about the delayed update. From now on, I _will_ update regularly. I replaced the first three chapters after doing another few rounds of editing. If you read them before they were replaced, you don't necessarily need to re-read them, but you're very welcome to do so, of course.

This is a very short chapter, but I will post more soon, probably later today.

Again, I'm sorry about the delayed update. Something came up.

Oh, BTW, I had a review from someone not logged in, so I wasn't able to reply personally to your question. My first language is Danish, and thank you very much for the review. :)

* * *

 **# 4 - Something to Hide**

 _Lavinia's POV_

It was too dark to read, even with a candle lit, so Lavinia lay down on her mattress, just looking at the books that Major Tallmadge had just brought to her. The flame from the candle on the desk flickered and threw shadows around inside the tent. She was tired, but not tired enough to be able to fall asleep yet.  
It had been a couple days unlike any she had ever had before. But then again, so had the last few days leading up to her capture.  
Today had been better, though she had been bored most of the time. Getting to sleep on a mattress with a roof over her head was definitely an improvement, and so was the fact that she didn't need to worry about her safety at the moment.  
Well, maybe she did. She was, after all, the only woman among lots of soldiers, who might not have seen any kind of woman for a very long time, but she felt convinced that when Major Tallmadge promised that no harm would come to her while she was in his camp, then no harm would come to her. He seemed like the kind of man who would go to great lengths to keep a promise.  
He also seemed like the kind of man who was easy to manipulate. Well, if you happened to be a woman, anyway.

Lavinia had had a feeling that he felt intimidated by the mere fact that she was a woman. He probably wasn't very…experienced. He was too shy and he blushed too often. Not that she was exactly experienced with men, either. But, at least, she was used to conversing with them.  
She couldn't help smiling to herself at the thought of the major. He definitely didn't look bad, and she wouldn't be surprised if girls threw themselves at his feet, but he may not even be aware of that. Just like he probably wasn't aware that he had been flirting with her during supper earlier that night. The thought amused her. And then she shook her head at her own stupidity.  
Telling him that she was from Setauket had not exactly been part of the plan. Not that she had a plan, really, but still. She just couldn't let anyone know where she was from, and telling him Setauket, when she had family there, wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. But it had been the first town to pop to mind, and it wasn't too close to home, so she had let it slip. She just hoped he wouldn't pursue it. He seemed convinced that she was lying (and he was right, of course), so if she were lucky, he would forget about it again.  
From now on, though, she would have to be more careful. If she didn't make any more slips, she might get to stay for a while, and right now that was her best option. It was sort of her only option, actually. As long as they wouldn't declare her a spy.  
But why would they? They wouldn't find anything on her that could connect her to the British.  
She just hoped she would be able to keep her name from them.

Lavinia put the books down with a sigh. It was very sweet of the major to bring them to her. She probably hadn't been very polite, withdrawing immediately without a proper thank you. She had been too embarrassed by accidentally grapping his hands when reaching out to take the books from him. It was a small thing, really, but the silence afterwards had been so awkward, and she had no doubts that he had noticed, too.  
And that hadn't been the only awkward moment with him, despite the fact that she had only seen him a few times. The body search hadn't exactly been much fun, either. But she had a feeling that it was true what Lieutenant Brewster had said about the major. He hadn't been enjoying it any more than she had. She had never seen anyone blush like that before. Poor guy. She almost felt sorry for him, but he also amused her. She didn't mean it in any bad way. It was just…sort of sweet.

She lay awake for a while, listening to the sounds from the camp outside. Though most people had probably gone to bed by now, she could still hear the distant sound of drunken soldiers singing, and every now and then, the guards outside her tent would mumble a few words to each other.  
Eventually, the candle on the desk burned down and left the marquee in darkness. It still took her a while, but, finally, Lavinia fell asleep and had her first good night's sleep for quite some time.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt rested and in rather high spirits.


	5. A Welcome Distraction

**# 5 - A Welcome Distraction**

 _Ben's POV_

The rumor quickly spread across camp that there was a woman amongst the soldiers. Ben and Caleb did their best to quieten down the rumors and make the truth and the reason for it known to the men, but it only got worse. After a while, Ben decided to show them what was going on instead of letting them guess. Besides, Lavinia would probably enjoy the fresh air that a walk with him through camp would provide.

"Miss Lavinia?" He asked outside her quarters. It was almost noon, so he assumed she would be up and dressed by now.  
"Yes." She replied, and he drew back the canvas. She was sitting by the desk, reading one of the books he'd brought her last night. A ray of sun came in through the now open entrance and blinded her, when she tried to look up.  
"Would you give me the pleasure of accompanying me for a walk?" Ben asked politely, holding his uniform hat in his hands.  
She looked a little surprised, but also rather pleased, when she got up.  
"I would be delighted to, Major." She replied and walked over to him. He offered her his arm, and she took it willingly.

She seemed much more confident and at ease than just last night. It was a welcome change, although Ben was not sure what it meant.  
"How do you find the books, miss?" He asked as they began walking. He could see the soldiers staring at them from all sides, and, somehow, he felt proud to have a beautiful woman by his side. He wasn't used to it.  
She made an impression on the soldiers, he could easily tell from the looks on their faces, but the look on _her_ face had changed drastically, like all of a sudden.  
"Are you alright, Miss Lavinia?" Ben asked concernedly. She looked pale. "Do you want to sit down for a while?"  
"No. No, I'm quite okay." She said and gave a small smile, though failing to hide its fake nature. "I'm just…not used to the attention."  
"A beautiful, young lady such as yourself? What about the lords in London?" Ben asked skeptically, trying to take her mind off the soldiers staring at her and whispering behind their backs.  
"That was different. They were friendly."  
"So are my men." Ben said knowing all too well that a few of them would get too friendly very quickly if let alone with her. "Well, most of them, anyway."  
"Really?" She sent him a worried glance.  
"To be honest, they were spreading rumors about you, and I wanted them to see for themselves. It's not often we have a lady in our midst."  
"Do they think I'm…that I'm a…"  
"No!" Ben assured her. Anyone could see that she was not a whore.  
"Oh. Good."

A rider came hurrying down the path towards them, and Lavinia took a firmer grip of Ben's arm, as if she was frightened. The soldier stopped his horse right in front of them and handed Ben a letter.  
"From…" He hesitated and looked at Lavinia and then back to Ben.  
"Thank you." Ben said and dismissed him with a nod. He put the letter in his pocket. It was probably from General Washington. He was expecting it, but there was no need for Lavinia to see it.  
She was still holding on to his arm a little too firmly for Ben not to notice.  
"You're afraid of horses?" He asked, as it was obviously the courier on the horse, who had made her take a firmer grip in the first place. They walked on through the camp.  
"No. I love horses. I was just afraid he wouldn't be able to stop the horse at that speed." She replied and let go a little of Ben's arm.  
"Our horses are very well trained, and the men are skilled riders. You don't need to worry." Ben assured her. "Do _you_ know how to ride?"  
"I would say so, yes." She said with a smile that told Ben that she was more than capable of handling a horse.  
"Maybe we could…" He changed his mind. She was, after all, a captive.  
"Yes?"  
"Oh. It was nothing, really."  
"Oh. Okay." She sounded disappointed. Ben could've kicked himself.

They walked on, and a servant passed them on their way. He was black, though Ben did not think about it, until Lavinia broke the silence, clearly remembering something upon seeing the servant.  
"Last night…" She started. "…When we talked about fighting for freedom?"  
"Yes?" Ben asked, not having a clue where this was going.  
"You said that you fight for freedom, and the British don't."  
"And you pointed out to me that they do."  
"Yes… I was just wondering. What about the slaves? The British are setting them free, aren't they? Isn't their freedom worth as much as yours and mine?"  
"I wouldn't speak too loudly of what good the British do, in this camp, miss." Ben said almost in a whisper. Then he continued a little louder, though still not loud enough for anyone else to hear. "But I agree with you on that matter. When it comes to slavery, we're far behind the British. They even grant our slaves their freedom to fight alongside them now. We should be doing the same thing."  
"But only if they go to war with you?" Lavinia asked with a disappointed look at Ben.  
"No, but it takes time to make people agree. You can't just change overnight, what's been build up through generations."  
"I wish it weren't so." Lavinia sighed.

Ben hadn't known many women in his life, but he _had_ known some. His childhood friends, and relatives, and such. He had also been introduced to a few eligible ones through the years, but he had never met anyone speaking her opinion as freely as Lavinia did. Nor had he met anyone discussing slavery. They would usually leave it to the men to discuss politics. However, he found it refreshing to actually have a conversation with someone else than Caleb for a change.

They left it at that for the moment being and walked on for a while, until they reached Lavinia's quarters again.  
"Thank you for letting me breathe some fresh air, Major." Lavinia said and didn't sound too displeased with being a captive of the Continental Army.  
"You're very welcome." Ben replied and looked at the face that had changed from closed and scared to almost happy (well, joyful, at least) in only a few days' time. "Maybe we could do this some other time? I mean, if I can spare the time, of course."  
"That'd be nice." She replied and slipped into her quarters. She looked back at Ben for a while, as if she was wondering about something. Then she gave him a smile and let the canvas fall back in place. For a few seconds Ben just stood there, wondering about what she had wanted to say. _If_ she had wanted to say anything. Then he pulled himself together and walked towards his quarters, opening the letter from General Washington.

It was as he had expected. New orders. He would have to go scouting tomorrow morning, bringing only a few of his men with him.


	6. Recon Gone Wrong

**# 6 - Recon Gone Wrong**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben prepared to ride out with Caleb and eight other soldiers the next morning.  
He had made sure that the men guarding Lavinia were not ones to disobey his orders once he was out of sight. He knew that some of his men would've done so, and even though they could hang for it, or at least face court-martial, he was too soft on them. They knew that, and he knew that they knew. He just didn't want to kill any more people than necessary in this war, and least of all people who were, more or less, on his side. Women and children he, of course, didn't want harmed under any circumstances. He knew that some of the other officers didn't care that much about ethics, but it just didn't come natural to Ben to kill or hurt other human beings, not even in battle. He did, because he had to, but he always tried to infuse a certain amount of moral into his men. He didn't always succeed, but there were bad apples everywhere.

When leaving the camp, Ben stopped his horse at Lavinia's marquee and jumped to the ground. His recon squad stopped behind him, which made him a little embarrassed about what he was about to do.  
"I'll catch up with you." He told Caleb and let him take over for a couple of minutes.  
"Yeah. If you can." Caleb teased and kicked his horse on its flanks, making it break into a gallop from the spot. The others followed his example and left Ben behind.

Lavinia had already popped her head out to see what all the commotion was about. Ben walked over to her, the reins of his bay horse in his left hand, and his hat in the other.  
"You're leaving on a secret mission?" Lavinia asked with a teasing smile at him.  
"In fact, I am. We are." Ben replied and smiled back at her. One of her curls had fallen out of place, and he resisted the urge to put it back where it belonged. "I've instructed Cliff and Marshall here…" he said and beckoned with his head in direction of the two soldiers outside the tent. "…To take good care of you. If there's anything you need, all you need to do is ask."  
"Does that also include my freedom?" She teased.  
"Anything but that. Well, and anything illegal." Ben replied, unable not to smile. "I expect that I…that we…will be back by tomorrow morning. Noon, maybe."  
"Alright. Thank you for letting me know. I wish you a safe journey, Major." Lavinia said sounding genuine.  
"Thank you." Ben replied almost in a whisper.  
Then he let go of the reins and took her hand, bending slightly forwards to kiss it. It was a spur of the moment thing, and he was as surprised by his own action as she seemed to be.  
Then he put his hat back on, swung himself up on the horse, gave Lavinia a courteous nod as goodbye, and followed the others, encouraging his mare to set a pace a little faster than usually. He knew that Caleb wouldn't make it easy for him to catch up.

#

Around noon they saw the first signs of the enemy. Or at least they saw the first signs of what they believed to be the enemy. They couldn't tell for sure yet, if it was, indeed, British soldiers, who had broken branches off trees and crumbled leaves on their way, but the number of men was definitely larger than what civilians would usually gather for hunting or traveling.  
Ben let Caleb ride in front. He was the best tracker in the squad, and so Ben was confident that they would find the enemy soldiers, eventually. It would be foolish to rush it and overlook important signs, and they didn't want to stumble upon the enemy by going too fast, either, so they let the horses slow down to a walk for a while and enjoyed the clear, chilly air. The trees had turned from summer's dark green to fall's palette of yellow, red, and gold.  
It was a beautiful day, and so far, the mission seemed to go as planned. Ben relaxed and breathed in, spurring his horse into a trot to catch up with Caleb, who was a short distance ahead.

"Finding anything interesting?" He asked and slowed down as he reached him.  
"Lots of signs of them being here."  
"And you're sure they're redcoats?"  
"Unless you tell me they're ours?"  
"Not unless we're going in circles?"  
Caleb chuckled, but kept his eyes on the path and the surroundings.  
"Could they be rangers?"  
"Rangers wouldn't leave so many signs. They're ridiculously easy to follow. Where's the fun in that?"  
"I'd prefer _ridiculously easy_ to _fun_ any time, when people's lives are at stake."  
"Yeah. You never were much fun yourself, were you?" Caleb teased with a quick glance at his best friend.  
Ben rolled his eyes and stroke out at Caleb in an vague attempt to push him off his horse, but the latter was too quick and moved right in time not to lose his balance.  
"It'll never happen!" He chuckled, referring to the many, many times in the past that the two of them had played that game.  
"It keeps surprising me that you're so agile." Ben shot back. "You never looked it."  
"Well, we can't all be dashingly handsome majors, now, can we? Some of us have to impress the ladies with our…agility…instead."  
The reverend's son didn't know how to reply to this, which had, of course, been Caleb's intention. They knew each other too well.  
"Speaking of which…" Caleb continued. "How're you doing with the Abbott girl?"  
"Lavinia." Ben corrected him automatically. "And what're you talking about?"  
"Oh, come on!" Caleb rolled his eyes. "You know very well what I mean."  
Ben didn't reply. Yes, he knew what Caleb meant, and no, he wasn't going to give in that easily.  
"You getting sweet on the spy?"  
"I very much doubt she's a spy."  
"But you _are_ getting sweet on her?"  
"I enjoy the company of someone less savage than you."  
"Touché." Caleb laughed.  
"And she _is_ a lot prettier than you, I'll grant you as much. But then again… It doesn't take much to outshine you."  
"Ooh, Benny Boy's really on a roll here, huh?" Caleb chuckled.  
Suddenly, he grew silent and made his horse come to a halt. Ben followed suit.  
"What is it?"  
"Something's not right."  
"What?" Ben asked and looked back at the rest of the squad, raising a hand into the air to make them stop.  
"See the moss on the trees? And the position of the sun?"  
Ben looked around. Yes, he did see moss on the tree trunks. And the sun was high above them.  
"Yes?"  
"We're going round in a circle. Maybe a big circle, but a circle none the less."  
"Have we been here before?" Ben asked skeptically. He was positive that they hadn't. At least not today.  
"No. But the tracks are leading back towards camp. Moss usually grows on the northern side of the trees. The sun is too straight behind us. We're going back to camp."  
"Our camp?" Ben exclaimed alarmed. "Are you sure?"  
"I'm not joking with stuff like this." Caleb said angrily. Ben knew that the anger was aimed at the British, not at him.  
"Let's go!" He replied and broke his mare into a gallop, beckoning his men to follow suit.

The squad hurried back as fast as they could, but Ben still had plenty of time to consider the consequences of an attack on the camp at this time. They would be enough men to hold it, judging by the signs of how many soldiers they were following, but without a strong leader there, he wasn't sure if they would be able to stand against an enemy, who had, no doubt, planned to lead the best men astray. If only he had stayed behind. He could've sent Caleb. He would've handled the squad perfectly well on his own, and then Ben would've been there to protect the camp. And Lavinia.  
He was ashamed of thinking about her at a time like this, but he couldn't help it. He had promised her that she would be safe, and instead he had compromised her.

As they neared the camp, they heard sounds of fighting. Shouting, gunshots, and the metallic sound of blades crossing each other reached them, and Ben kicked his horse so hard on the flanks that it practically flew the last distance.  
They quickly reached the edge of the woods and with that also the camp. Men were fighting - blue against red – and a couple of tents were on fire. Ben watched his men fall, but they still had a chance with the reinforcement the recon squad brought. He drew his pistol and fired from a distance, taking down a British soldier, who was about to stab a continental soldier. The redcoat fell to the ground - dead. Ben reached seeing the relief in the eyes of the soldier he had just saved, before another one took him down from behind.

Caleb and the others passed Ben rushing into camp and striking red-clad soldiers on their way. Ben pulled the reins violently to make his horse change direction and hurried towards Lavinia's quarters, taking down a couple of soldiers with his saber on the way. Four soldiers were fighting the two guards, killing them both, but not without a loss of their own. With three soldiers left, obviously aiming for Lavinia's tent, Ben didn't have time to think. He rode in between them, taking one down, while the others pulled him off the horse. He fell to the ground, and, lying on his back, he saw the two soldiers hovering over him. They were carrying short blades, so he still had an advantage. With the saber in his right hand he swung it once and wounded one of the soldiers just enough to make him fall. The other one was about to thrust his blade through Ben, when a woman's scream distracted him just long enough for Ben to take out his own blade from his boot and stab him through the heart in one, swift motion. Someone finished off the wounded soldier lying on the ground and reached down a hand to Ben.

"Caleb!" The latter exclaimed in relief and got up. He looked around for the next enemy, but there was none.  
"It's over?" He asked and quickly turned around to make sure.  
"It's over." Caleb replied.  
Ben looked to Lavinia's marquee. He couldn't see her, so he rushed inside.  
"Lavinia?" He called out, for once neglecting etiquette.  
She was leaning against the desk, and she was shaking - probably from the shock.  
Ben rushed to her side.  
"Are you unharmed?"  
She nodded, and then tears filled her eyes.  
"It's alright now." Ben tried to comfort her. "They won't hurt you. I promise."  
"It's not me I worry about." She replied in a whisper, and tears started streaming down her face.  
For a moment Ben wondered if they were tears of despair. Had she hoped to be rescued? The soldiers _had_ aimed for her marquee.  
Then he shook the feeling off. She had probably saved his life by screaming at the right moment.


	7. When War Makes an Impact

**# 7 - When War Makes an Impact**

 _Lavinia's POV_

Lavinia was still shaking from the shock, when a soldier brought her something to eat later that evening. It was later than usually, but she hadn't expected anyone to remember at all, and she also didn't know if she was able to eat anything.

When she had first heard horses galloping towards camp, she had believed it to be Major Tallmadge and his men coming back from their secret mission, but when she had looked outside, she had seen British soldiers attacking, and she had quickly withdrawn, too scared to watch.

The screams and the strangled sounds from dying soldiers reached her in the tent and made her feel sick to the stomach. She didn't know what to do, so she didn't do anything. She just paced back and forth, her heart racing so fast that she could easily feel every single heartbeat.  
After a couple of minutes, new sounds reached her. More horses, more soldiers fighting. She thought she heard Lieutenant Brewster shouting, but was that even possible? She was quite sure that he had left with Major Tallmadge in the morning. Had they come back?  
Then she definitely heard the latter's voice among the others'. He was somewhere close by, and Lavinia couldn't help but go take a look outside, only pulling back a small stripe of canvas. Dead and wounded men lay splattered all over, and right in front of her, she saw the major. He was lying on the ground with a British soldier hovering over him with his blade ready to strike.  
Lavinia let out a scream. She didn't consider the fact that it would attract attention, and that she wouldn't be able to hide anymore, but the soldier hovering over Major Tallmadge turned his head in surprise and looked at her. It all happened very fast. The major drew his own knife from his boot and ran it through his enemy very quickly, and the soldier fell to the ground.

Hours later Lavinia kept seeing it all over and over again. She lay down on her mattress to try to get some rest, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, anyway.  
Was this what had happened to Lawrence? Had he been attacked and killed, or had he been the attacker, who got killed? She wanted to believe the first, but this was war. It could've been both. And the letter had never said anything about how it had happened. Only that he had fallen in battle.

His face kept popping up in her mind. She hadn't thought that much about him lately, but somehow Major Tallmadge reminded her of him. She didn't know exactly why, but maybe because he had that same passionate approach to his cause that Lawrence had also had to his. And he was a gentleman. Just like Lawrence.  
When he had kissed her hand before leaving that morning, she had been taken by surprise. She had also felt flattered. And when he had looked up at her afterwards, still bent over her hand, her heart had beaten a little faster, and she had had to admit to herself that she didn't like to see him leave.

Later, she had been worried. She had tried to tell herself that she was worried for her own safety, when he was not there to keep an eye on his men, but she wasn't sure anymore, if it was the truth. She wasn't sure, either, that it _wasn't_ the truth.  
However, she _was_ sure of the fact that the major had some kind of impact on her, though he probably wasn't aware. He had called her beautiful yesterday. He hadn't been flirting, and he probably hadn't given it a second thought, but she had.  
And when they had discussed slavery, he hadn't told her that it was not a woman's place to discuss such matters. He was the only one apart from Lawrence, who had ever let her speak her mind about politics. And to find out that he shared her beliefs on the matter… That did make an impact.


	8. In the Dark of Night

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites. They made my day! :)

* * *

 **# 8 - In the Dark of Night**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben was exhausted, but he had to tend to his men before retreating to his own quarters. It had been dark for quite some time, but there was still more than enough to do. Fourteen of his men had fallen, and about a dozen were injured. A while ago, someone had said something about his face bleeding, but he hadn't had time to see to it.  
Once he had made sure that none of the wounded men were in any immediate danger, he sat down and wrote a letter to General Washington about the incident and the loss. Caleb offered to deliver it, and though Ben would've preferred to keep him close by in the camp, he also knew that he was their best shot at getting the intelligence safely to Washington. To Ben's knowledge, none of the British soldiers had escaped, but he couldn't afford to take any chances.  
Bodies had to be disposed of, and names had to be collected. Fourteen letters had to be written to fourteen families. Ben recalled when a letter like that had arrived for him, when his brother, Samuel, had died. He had been a prisoner at the HMS Jersey, and he had died of dysentery. His body had been thrown into the ocean. These bodies would have to be buried.

"Sir?" Someone interrupted his line of thoughts. Ben looked up. It was one of his captains.  
"You should sit down for a while, sir." He said and handed him a bottle. "You're the only one who hasn't had anything to eat or drink yet. You can't go on like that."  
Ben just looked at the captain, trying to remember his name.  
"Sir?" He said again. "Take a swig!"  
Ben put the bottle to his mouth and took a few gulps of the whiskey. Slowly, very slowly, his brain began functioning again.  
"Thanks, Price." He said and put a hand on the captain's shoulder. "I'll only be a few minutes."  
"We'll manage."

He went to find some food, hoping that there was still some left. He found some bread and dried meat, which didn't look too inviting anymore, but it didn't matter right now. Then he thought of Lavinia. Had anyone remembered her? He knew he hadn't. There had been so much else to do and think about.  
Afraid that she hadn't had anything to eat for a very long time, he picked up his food and went to see her.

"Miss Lavinia?"  
"Come on in, Major." She replied and got up from her primitive bed, when Ben entered the marquee.  
"Oh, I'm sorry." He said and turned around. For some reason he hadn't expected her to be in bed yet.  
"It's okay. I'm still decent. I don't think I can sleep, anyway."  
Ben turned around to face her again. Good. She was still properly dressed.  
"Have you had anything to eat yet?" He asked holding up the food he brought.  
"Yes. Thank you." She replied with a worried look on her face. "Someone – I didn't catch his name – brought me some a while ago."  
"I'm glad. I was afraid we'd neglected you."  
"Not at all. And if you had, I would've understood. But Major, you should tend to your wounds."  
"My wounds?" Ben asked with a frown, which made his forehead hurt a little. He had forgotten all about the blood on his face, and he hadn't felt the pain until now.  
"Yes. Would you let me have a look at it?"  
"Thank you." Ben replied and sat down when she beckoned him to.  
She poured some water from a jug into a bowl and found a clean cloth. She wet it and, gently, pressed it to Ben's forehead.  
"Ouch." He complained, wanting to bite his tongue. It was just a small wound. No need to be a sissy. Lavinia gave him a small, encouraging smile and continued wiping the blood from his face.  
"It was a good thing you came back when you did." She said, not looking him in the eye.  
"Five minutes earlier would've spared lives." Ben muttered, disappointed in himself.  
"And five minutes later wouldn't have." Lavinia muttered back.  
Ben caught her eye, and for a moment she stopped the cloth on its way over his forehead.  
"Yes. Of course." Ben sighed and let his eyes down. "Thank you for reminding me."  
"Thank you for saving my life." She whispered and rinsed the cloth in the water.  
"Likewise." Ben replied and caught her eye again.  
"You're welcome."

#

Ben didn't sleep much that night. When he finally got to bed as the last one very late at night, he tossed and turned, and thoughts of the battle, the recon, Samuel, and Lavinia were going round and round in his head. Whenever he was on the verge of sleeping, Lavinia's face would suddenly be clear before him, and he would wake with a start.

After quite some time like this, he got up to go get some fresh air. It was still dark outside, and the camp was quiet. His walk through camp had no other purpose than to clear his head, so he just strolled around for a while. When he reached the edge of the camp facing the woods, he saw a dark figure slipping away towards the trees.  
He recognized the figure as Lavinia, the only one who would be wearing a gown. He sped up, careful not to make any sounds to reveal himself, and caught her arm, quickly covering her mouth with his free hand before she could scream. She turned around very quickly, but relaxed when she saw, who had captured her.

"What're you doing?" Ben hissed and removed his hand from her mouth.  
"Major!" She exclaimed and tried to pull her arm from his grip. He didn't let go.  
"I just needed to…" She continued. "...obey the call of nature."  
"Sneaking off like that?"  
"Yes."  
"Why didn't you have one of the men accompany you?"  
"They were asleep. They've had a long day. And night. I didn't want to wake them."  
"Oh, that's _very_ kind of you." Ben said sarcastically.  
"I was _not_ trying to run away." Lavinia said, her voice sharper than usually. "And let go of me!"  
She pulled her arm from Ben's grip and he let her. She then pulled up her skirts and stomped off, her attitude so offended that Ben couldn't help laughing.  
"Oh, come on!" He chuckled just loud enough for her to hear it, before he followed her behind the trees. "Let me at least make sure you get back safely."  
She shot an angry glance at him, but then her face softened. "Thank you. Would you, please, turn around?"  
Ben turned his back against her and gave her a little space. He could hear the rustle of her skirts very clearly, so if she would try to run, he would know.

She didn't try to run, though.  
"Will you escort me back now, Major?" She asked and made Ben turn around to face her again. She reached out for his arm, and he let her take it.  
"Of course." He replied. He couldn't help feeling that she was playing with him. Her mood changes confused him. What was she up to?  
"Miss Lavinia…" He began as they walked, and hesitated.  
"Yes?"  
"The British soldiers last night…" He continued. "They seemed to be aiming at your quarters. Do you have any idea why?"  
"They did? No, I wouldn't know why."  
"And you're sure that you're telling me the truth?"  
"Yes." She sighed. "I don't know why they would aim at my tent. Perhaps because it was the only one with guards posted outside?"  
"That _is_ possible." Ben replied. "But it's also possible that you're not telling me the whole truth."  
"Oh, Major, I'm not." She teased. "But I'm not lying, either."  
"I'm being serious." Ben said seriously.  
"So am I." Lavinia replied. The teasing tone had left her voice.  
"You're not making it any easier for me." Ben sighed. "I don't know what to do with you."  
"Then don't do any…" She trailed off.  
"Don't do what?"  
"Oh, I forgot."  
That was, quite obviously, a lie, but he left it at that.

Ben walked her back to her quarters and found two soldiers asleep outside. They were probably drunk.  
"Hey!" He shouted and pushed one of them hard with his boot. They both woke up and jumped to their feet. Yep, they were drunk.  
"You both report to me in the morning." He said angrily.  
"Yes, sir." They replied in sync.  
"Now, go away. And wake up Fisher and Smith and tell them to report to me now. I'll be waiting right here."  
"Yes, sir." They replied again and hurried off.  
"Seems like I'm stuck with you now, Major." Lavinia teased and entered the tent.  
"Yes, well, only for a couple of minutes until the others get here." Ben replied and stayed outside. Why did his cheeks feel warm?  
"Too bad." She said from inside. "I was enjoying the company."  
"I'll call upon you tomorrow, miss." He said, relieved to see Smith and Fisher coming towards him from a distance.

Back in his own quarters, Ben finally felt tired. He kicked off his boots and lay down on the bed. Thoughts were still running around in his head, but they were more cheerful than before. He finally fell asleep with a small smile on his lips and a very familiar face on his mind.


	9. Rumors

**# 9 - Rumors**

 _Ben's POV_

When everything had been taken care of the next day, Ben went back to his quarters to get a moment's rest and look through some letters. Caleb hadn't returned yet, but he hadn't expected him to, either. He was fast, but not _that_ fast. He took off his boots, took the letters, and lay down on his bed. He only just opened the first letter, when Captain Price entered.

"Major, I'm sorry to interrupt, but…"  
"Miss Lavinia!" Ben exclaimed when she entered the marquee behind Price. He jumped to his feet. "Is something the matter?"  
"Oh, my apologies, Major." She said looking at his feet and then at his boots next to the bed. "Is this a bad time?"  
"No, no. Not at all." Ben replied and dismissed the captain. "Thank you, Captain."  
Price left, and Ben nodded towards a chair. "Please, take a seat."  
Lavinia sat down on the chair, while Ben sat down on the bed to put on his boots again.

"I just thought…" Lavinia said looking around Ben's quarters with a small smile. "…that maybe you'd like to walk with me?"  
"To walk with you?" Ben asked bewildered. "There's nothing wrong?"  
"No, why would there be?"  
"I don't know. I'm just surprised that Captain Price would bring you here, that's all."  
"Oh, but I told him to."  
"You…?"  
"Yes. I told him that I wanted to go pay you a visit, and he didn't object."  
"I'll have to speak with him about that." Ben mumbled with a frown.  
"Please, don't be mad at him. I can be very persuasive." She teased, and Ben believed her. "So, will you walk with me?"  
"Of course." Ben was still a little taken aback, but he got to his feet and offered her his arm. She took it and smiled at him, and they went outside together.

It didn't take Ben long to notice how the atmosphere in the camp had changed. He would've expected his men to feel down after last night's events and the loss of their comrades, but somehow their spirits seemed lifted. Some were laughing, and some were whispering and, apparently, letting each other in on secrets. Ben had no idea what caused this, but he was glad that they didn't suffer too much after the attack. But maybe they were just relieved that none of the British soldiers had escaped? He didn't actually believe it to be the reason for their high spirits, though.

"Is something troubling you?" Lavinia asked after a while of walking in silence.  
"No. Just wondering about something." Ben said and smiled at her. "My apologies, if I neglected our conversation."  
Lavinia gave a small laugh and looked up at him.  
"You're so polite, Major Tallmadge." She said and held his gaze for a couple of seconds. She was smiling. "It's a fine quality to possess, but I'm afraid someone might use it for their own good someday."  
"What do you mean?" Ben turned to face her, no longer walking.  
"Well, you'll never know." She said with a secretive smile at him. He looked at her, trying to figure her out, but he couldn't. She returned the gaze a little longer than he was comfortable with, and made him feel strange inside. Warm, but strange. It only confused him more.

Through the camp, the men paid a great deal of attention to Ben and Lavinia. Well, she did look extraordinary today, although he couldn't quite figure out what had changed. She only had that one gown, and her curly, brown hair looked the same as always. Maybe it was the confidence, which she had somehow conjured up? She had an air about her that he hadn't noticed before. And she had made his captain obey her orders and take her to him. There definitely _was_ something about her.

"Would you…" Ben began, but hesitated and cleared his throat.  
"Would I…?" Lavinia asked with a small, expectant smile.  
"Would you prefer to be allowed to walk around the camp, when it pleases you? I could tell the men that it's alright, as long as someone is escorting you."  
"Would you really let me?" She asked with a surprised and somewhat fond look at him. He looked away, but he couldn't help smiling. So, he could still surprise her, too.  
"Well, you seem to have some kind of power over everyone anyway." He replied and gave her hand a little squeeze with his free one. He regretted immediately, but she just squeezed his hand back and relieved him of what could've been an awkward situation.  
"Thank you. I'd really appreciate that. I promise you, I won't try to run away."  
"Nor kill any of my men?" Ben asked with a teasing smile.  
"I can't promise you that, I'm afraid. But I _can_ promise you that I'll only kill the ones talking behind your back!"  
Ben gave a loud laugh at this. "Well, we're good then, Miss Lavinia. I'll let your guards know."  
"Thank you, Major Tallmadge." She replied and reached up to give him a peck on the cheek.  
Ben was so taken by surprise that he didn't even notice everyone staring at them. In fact, for a few moments it felt as if the whole world was spinning around. It made him feel almost nauseous.  
Then he collected himself, cleared his throat and walked on, still with Lavinia attached to his arm.

#

Sometime late in the evening, one of the servants came to his quarters to see if he needed anything before turning in for the night. He didn't.  
On his way outside, the servant stopped, but hesitated to speak.

"Yes, what is it?" Ben didn't look up from the letter he was writing.  
"Sir, there's something I think you should now."  
"Yes?"  
"The men… They're saying stuff about you?"  
"What kind of _stuff_?" Ben asked, now paying full attention to the young boy.  
"It's about…Miss Lavinia."  
"What're they saying?" Ben asked, a very bad feeling creeping up on him.  
"They're saying that… That you spent the night with her." The poor boy almost whispered the last part.  
"That I did WHAT?!" Ben yelled and jumped to his feet.  
"I'm just telling you what I heard." The servant looked frightened, and Ben restrained himself.  
"Does anybody believe that?" He asked, his voice not as calm as he had hoped it would be.  
"Some of them said that they saw you by her quarters in the middle of the night. And pretty much everyone saw her kiss you this afternoon, sir." The boy looked away.  
"That was…" Ben exclaimed agitated. "No, that was just a peck on the cheek, that's all."  
"Not according to those out there."  
"Thank you, Alexander." Ben said wishing Caleb had been there. He would've made him laugh at this situation. "Thank you for letting me know."  
"Sir." Alexander said with a nod and left him alone.

#

Ben woke by something poking his feet. He yawned and turned to the other side, not ready to get up yet.  
"I hear you've been a naughty boy, Benny!" He heard a voice close to his ear.  
"Caleb, get out!" Ben complained drowsily, but he did open his eyes to look at him. "What time is it?"  
"Nearly dawn. Are you going to tell me about it?"  
"Don't you have any letters for me?"  
"Nah. I did. But now I don't. I might have again, though, if you tell me what you did to the lass."  
"Cut it out. There's no story there."  
"Ah, but there are lots of men out there saying that there is."  
"I hope you told them they're wrong?"  
"Nope. Thought about it, but then I also thought I'd love to see the chaste reverend's son walk through camp with his face looking like a redcoat."  
"Traitor." Ben sighed and sat up. "You know very well that I would never touch her."  
"Yeah, I know. But that's such a sad story. The other one's so much more fun."  
"What've you got for me?" Ben changed the subject. "And light a candle, will you?"

Ben put on just enough clothes to be decent, if anyone should walk in, while Caleb lit a candle without complaining about it.  
"Washington wants you to join him." The latter said and handed Ben a letter, which had clearly been opened. "And by _you_ I mean _us_. He'll meet us halfway."  
"You do realize that the letter was for me, right? Which means _for my eyes only_."  
"Hm." Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "You'd tell me its contents anyway."  
Ben sighed and opened the letter. He took the candlestick from the table in order to see better. It was still rather dark, though he could see by the dim light coming from outside that the sun was rising.

"We're to leave today?" He exclaimed upon reading the letter. "How quickly can we take down the whole camp?"  
"We can be done by noon, I'd say."  
"So we'll have the afternoon to travel. We can't reach Washington before it gets dark. And we're too exposed if we travel by night."  
"He's already on his way. As I said… Halfway."  
"Yes, so did the letter. But it didn't say how many men?"  
"Enough. You don't need to worry. No one would dare attack that many soldiers at night, unless they had their whole army put in position. And, luckily enough, we know that no one has."  
"Alright. Tell everyone to start packing. We're leaving at 10."  
"10?"  
"You said noon, didn't you? I say we pull ourselves together and get going."  
"Yes, _sir_." Caleb mocked, but he did leave to go prepare for the departure.


	10. Preparing to Leave

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews. :)

* * *

 **# 10 - Preparing to Leave**

 _Lavinia's POV_

It worried Lavinia a little, when Captain Price came to her quarters to tell her that they were breaking up the camp, and that she should prepare to leave before noon. It was rather early in the morning, but she had been up for a while. As she didn't really have any belongings to take with her, she only needed to prepare mentally, which gave her too much time to brood over things.  
Her thoughts kept returning to Major Tallmadge. It annoyed her that they did. She knew that she was flirting with him, as she did it on purpose, even though it wasn't fair to try to manipulate the poor guy that way. She just happened to find him incredibly cute whenever he would get flustered and blush, and so she couldn't help but teasing him on purpose.  
It also gave her some kind of advantage to know that he had worried about her during the attack on the camp. He had killed the soldiers heading for her tent, and though he may just have been protecting the camp and the people in it in general, he had still come to her quarters straight afterwards, to see if she was alright. She couldn't help feeling grateful for that.  
On the other hand, it irritated her that he kept thinking she would try to escape. She thought she had made it rather obvious that she wanted to stay, though, of course, she couldn't say it directly. She had almost let it slip at least once, but he hadn't seemed to notice.  
It wasn't easy not telling him everything. She desperately wanted to tell someone, but though she had a feeling that he would understand, she just couldn't risk it.  
What if the feeling was wrong?

After a while of pacing back and forth in the marquee, she decided to go for a walk. When she got outside, the camp looked very different from what it had early in the morning, as most of the tents had been taken down, and soldiers were loading the carts with everything they needed to bring with them. Except for their own, personal belongings, of course. They would be carrying those on their horses.  
The soldiers seemed to be in rather high spirits. They were laughing and smiling and were probably excited about the change. She didn't know how long they had been in this place, but she figured that it would get boring after a while. It sure was boring to stay inside a tent all the time.  
At least Major Tallmadge had given her a small part of her freedom back. When he had suggested that she could walk around camp, whenever she wanted to, it had made her almost happy. Ridiculous, maybe, but after so many days inside a stuffy tent, it made her very grateful to be able to breathe fresh air, whenever she felt like it. And it had given her the opportunity to give him a peck on the cheek right in the middle of camp, where everyone could see it. Oh, the look on his face when she had done so! It was priceless. It had never occurred to her that it might not be very wise.

There was only one guard outside her quarters at this time, which made sense, as they were all busy packing for the journey. She believed that the young soldier's name was Turner. He had been there before, though she had never talked to him.  
"Mr. Turner?" She asked, and he turned around to look at her.  
"Yes, miss?" He replied politely.  
"I wondered if you would walk with me for a while? If you're not neglecting your other duties by doing so?"  
"No, miss, I'm not." He said and beckoned her to come with him. He didn't offer her his arm, as Major Tallmadge would've done, and she didn't reach out for it, either.  
"Then I suppose they can take down your tent now?" He asked as they began walking.  
"Oh. Of course." Lavinia replied. She hadn't even given it a single thought.


	11. Fights All Around

**# 11 - Fights All Around**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben went for a walk through camp to see how the preparations were going. He hadn't had time to see Lavinia about it, and he also didn't want to add to the rumors, so he had sent someone else. If she had somehow heard the men talk about it, he wouldn't be able to face her again. It would be too embarrassing.

A couple of soldiers were having difficulties packing away a tent, and another soldier and a captain were watching and laughing at them.  
"Captain Barnes." Ben said walking towards them. "Your men seem to be in trouble. Don't you think you should lend them a hand?"  
"Not as much trouble as you, Major." Barnes replied contemptuously.  
"Excuse me?!" Ben exclaimed offended. That was no way to speak to a superior.  
"I said…" The captain began, but Ben cut him off.  
"I heard what you said!" He said furiously. "Would you care to explain yourself?"  
A few people stopped to watch the quarrel.  
"Well, sir…" Barnes sighed. "It would seem that you got in trouble the night before yesterday."  
All around him, Ben could hear people sniggering. He felt the familiar warmth in his cheeks, but he ignored it.  
"You take that back or I _will_ report you for contempt of your superior!"  
"Well, maybe _I_ will report _you_ , sir, for _fraternizing_ with the enemy!"  
Ben almost didn't believe his own ears. Did he just suggest that…?  
"Uniform off! NOW!" He commanded furiously and ripped off his own coat.  
Quite a few men had gathered to watch, and Ben knew that he needed to teach them a lesson. He couldn't have his subordinates disrespecting him like that, and he definitely couldn't have them insulting a lady!

Captain Barnes took off his coat, but he made sure to spend a great deal of time doing it. It only infuriated Ben even more, which was probably also the captain's intentions.  
"Get on with it!" Ben said and clenched his fists, and as soon as Barnes had handed his coat to someone else, the first punch hit his face. He stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance.  
He stroke back, but Ben was faster and ducked before the captain's fist hit his face. Unfortunately, he lost his balance for a moment, and Barnes' other fist hit his cheekbone, just avoiding the eye. Ben fell backwards, but got to his feet in a very swift move and hit Barnes' nose. It gave a loud crack, and blood spilled on the captain's white shirt. He didn't fall, but it took him a moment to collect himself, in which Ben prepared to knock him out. He pulled back his arm, but he let it fall, as he was interrupted.  
"Will you stop that immediately!" An angry woman's voice sounded above the cheering of the men, and Ben automatically turned around to face Lavinia.  
"Major, watch your back!" Someone yelled, and Ben turned back to face Barnes, just in time to see him attacking from behind. Ben didn't have time to think. He just stroke the hardest he could to defend himself, and knocked out his opponent.  
Barnes fell to the ground and went out for a few seconds. When he started moaning, and they knew he was going to be alright, Ben turned around, took his coat and stomped off.  
He heard Caleb yelling to the men to get back to work instead of just standing there, looking like dumb fools with their mouths agape. Ben was still angry, but he couldn't help but feel cheered up by both his own victory and what was supposed to be encouraging words from Caleb.

#

Ben found a clean cloth and poured some water into a bowl to clean his wounds. A moment later Lavinia entered his quarters.  
"Let me do that." She said and took the cloth from him. "And sit."  
Ben didn't object. He sat down, and so did she.  
"Is this going to be a recurring thing?" She asked putting the wet cloth to Ben's cheek. He winced, but he didn't reply.  
"I mean…" She continued. "It's not that I don't want to clean your wounds, but I'm beginning to think you get hurt on purpose."  
She gave him a small smile.  
"I _am_ doing it on purpose." Ben replied and caught her off guard with a teasing smile. "And it seems to be working."  
She blushed and concentrated on wetting the cloth again.  
"What was the quarrel about?" She asked after a moment.  
Ben looked at her, inquiringly. She hadn't heard?  
"What?" She said when he caught her eye. "I'm not supposed to know?"  
"It was about you." Ben sighed. "I thought you'd heard."  
"Me?" She asked in surprise. "Why on Earth…"  
"He said some very disrespectful things about you." Ben interrupted her. "And I can't have my men disrespect ladies like that. Especially not when I've already told them to stop."  
Ben noticed Lavinia trying to hide a smile. She wet the cloth once more and wiped some blood from the edge of his lip. She was silent, and Ben felt his heart beat faster, as she let the cloth move gently over his skin. A sudden impulse made him reach up and grab her hand. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. For a moment they locked gazes, neither of them removing their hand.  
"May I call you Lavinia?" Ben asked, surprised that his voice wasn't trembling. He was positive that her breathing was quicker than a moment before.  
"If I may call you Benjamin?"  
"I'd prefer it, if you would call me Ben." He replied.

A noise by the entrance made him jump to his feet, letting go of Lavinia's hand, before he heard Caleb's voice.  
"That's all very cute." The latter said. "But we're ready to go. Well, except for this." He looked around the tent.  
Ben looked at him with a frown, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed. For once, Caleb didn't seem to find it funny. Ben knew very well why. For all they knew, she could still be an enemy spy.  
"I'll just be a minute." Ben said and dismissed Caleb with an annoyed nod. The latter sighed and rolled his eyes before he left.  
"I'm sorry." Ben turned towards Lavinia. "I shouldn't have done that."  
"You shouldn't have done what?" She asked. There was no teasing tone to her voice.  
"I shouldn't have asked that of you. You're still not… I mean, I don't know if you're…if we can ever be friends."  
She looked confused, but Ben gave up explaining. He just walked out on her.

#

"My Goodness, Tallmadge, you're the stupidest boy I know!" Caleb scolded Ben when he caught up with him on their way towards Washington.  
Ben didn't reply. He concentrated on riding.  
"I don't care if you think you have feelings for her. You know very well that what you did was out of place."  
"As if what _you_ usually do to women is not out of place!" Ben shot back. He really didn't want to have this conversation.  
"They're whores, Tally. Not potential lady spies!"  
Ben sighed.  
"I didn't actually _do_ anything!"  
"Considering the fact that you've never done anything to a woman before, you did quite a lot."  
"And you're rearguard from now on." Ben said annoyed without looking at Caleb.  
"Oh, that's just brilliant." Caleb snorted. "The Great Major Tallmadge sends me away because he can't handle the truth!"  
Ben didn't reply, so Caleb let his horse fall behind.

For a while Ben rode alone in front, trying to gather his thoughts. He knew it was very unprofessional of him, but he couldn't help thinking about her. He had given Captain Price orders to make sure she would be safe at all times. He would've preferred to do so himself, but he had to lead his troops. He hadn't talked to her, since he had left her in his quarters, and he had only seen her from a distance.  
He turned around in the saddle to see if he could spot her somewhere in the ranks. She and Captain Price were riding on the right not so far behind, and she looked up just as Ben turned around, and caught his gaze. He looked away a little too quickly and turned back in the saddle. Damn. That wasn't supposed to happen. It would make him look so pathetic.

After quite some time riding, Ben gave in. He turned his horse to the right and slowed down, so that he would fall in, next to Lavinia.  
"I got it, Captain." He told Captain Price, who nodded in acceptance.  
"Ride with me, will you?" He then asked Lavinia. She hadn't looked at him yet.  
"No, thank you, Major." She replied coolly, still not looking at him. He was caught a bit off guard by her rejection and didn't know what to say.  
"Please?" He tried. She finally looked at him, and the hurt look in her eyes pierced right through him.  
She sighed, but she accepted nonetheless. She led her horse closer to Ben's, and he rode a little away from the troops. Not much, just enough to be able to keep a conversation going without everyone else listening in on it.

"How're you holding up?" He began. They had been riding for hours, and he still remembered how much it hurt all over his body, back when he hadn't been used to riding that much.  
"I'm doing fine, thank you." She replied. There was no hint of a smile or teasing tone in her voice. He missed it.  
"Is your horse behaving?"  
"She is."  
"And you don't mind riding in a regular saddle?"  
Her mouth twitched a little, as if she was almost about to smile. She didn't, though.  
"I never liked riding in a sidesaddle."  
"I should offer you my sincerest apology, Miss." Ben changed the subject and looked at her, and for a split second, she looked up at him as well, but then she locked her gaze between the ears of her grey horse.  
"I was rude this morning." He continued. "I shouldn't have asked of you, what I did, and I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. My only excuse is that I was…perplexed."  
"Apology accepted." Lavinia said, but she still didn't look at him. He wasn't sure what that meant.  
For a while none of them said anything. Then Lavinia broke the silence.  
"You do realize that this doesn't make them talk any less, right?" She asked with a look out over the soldiers.  
"You know what they've been saying?" Ben exclaimed in surprise. "I had hoped the rumors wouldn't reach you. I'm terribly sorry about that, too."  
"That's why you got into that fight, wasn't it?"  
"Well… I guess…Yeah."  
"Thank you." She said and sent him a very small smile.  
"You're welcome." He smiled back at her. For some reason, he suddenly had butterflies in his stomach.  
"Do you want to ride up front with me?" He asked, much more confident than a moment ago.  
"I should stay here." Lavinia replied with a small smile. "They'll talk."  
"Of course." Ben blushed and felt stupid, but he was getting used to that whenever he was around her. "I'll just be…up front."  
"Okay." She chuckled and watched him leave on his horse.

#

It was getting dark, when a scout came back to tell Ben that General Washington was just behind the next hill. Everyone was tired, and though they had paused to take a couple of meals, they were getting hungry after a long day in the saddle. Ben signaled with his free hand, and a moment later Caleb joined him.  
"Behind the next hill." Ben said. "From what the scout was saying, it seems as if he moved the whole army!"  
"Told you he would bring enough men!" Caleb chuckled.

Behind them, the men had grown louder at the prospect of getting some rest soon. Ben sped up his horse, and the others followed suit. They had to go over the hill, as there were too many miles around it. He just hoped that the horses pulling the wagons with the wounded men and the tents would be able to go over it as well. They would have to try.  
As they reached the top, Ben made his horse halt to take in the view for a moment. Down below, soldiers were almost done setting up tents. Most of the tents were lit, and from a distance, they looked like hundreds of lanterns on a dark blue sky. The scenery seemed almost magical in the twilight.  
Ben turned around in the saddle to look for Lavinia and saw his troops spread across the hill, everyone looking down at the camp. Lavinia too, not so far from him. She looked mesmerized by the sight and didn't notice him watching her. The wind took a ringlet of her brown hair and played with it, and Ben couldn't help staring at it.  
"Are we staying here all night?" Caleb brought Ben back to the task ahead.  
"Yeah, that's my plan." Ben replied sarcastically with a smile at Caleb, pressing his heels to the bay mare. She walked on, and so did everyone else.

General Washington himself greeted them, as they rode into camp. Ben signaled for his men to stop, while he rode to meet Washington.  
"Major Tallmadge." The latter said with a nod and looked around. "Your men should get to work. It'll be dark soon."  
Ben looked at Caleb.  
"I'm on it." He said and hurried back to give orders.  
"Major, would you…" Washington began, but something distracted him. He looked down the ranks to where Lavinia was waiting, still with Captain Price by her side. "What's that?"  
"She…" Ben said. "Would be Miss Lavinia, sir."  
"Miss Lavinia? No family name? Why are you bringing a lady along with you?"  
"She won't tell us her family name. Scouts found her in the woods. We don't know yet, if she's a spy, sir."  
Washington broke into a hearty laugh, which was very unusual for him, and steered his horse towards Lavinia. Ben followed.

"Would you care to introduce us?" Washington asked as they reached her. She looked a little overwhelmed, Ben thought.  
"Miss Lavinia, may I introduce General Washington?" He said formally. "Sir, this is Miss Lavinia."  
General Washington reached out his hand to take Lavinia's. He almost couldn't reach from the horse, but he managed to plant a kiss on her hand, after all.  
"Intrigued!" He said and looked up at her in a way that made the butterflies in Ben's stomach turn into stones.


	12. The Moody Major

**# 12 - The Moody Major**

 _Ben's POV_

"So you're telling me she's not a spy?" Ben asked, walking rather fast through camp.  
"I'm just saying it's odd, that's all." Caleb replied and did his best to keep up with his major's much longer steps.  
"But if she, as you say, enjoys being here, wouldn't that just indicate that she wants to stay to gather intelligence?"  
"Or perhaps she has another reason not to want to leave."  
"And which other reason would that be?"  
"Apart from the dashing officers?" Caleb teased. "I don't know. Maybe she killed someone. Maybe she did it with someone else's husband. Maybe someone wants to kill her. How would I know?"  
Ben sent him a reprimanding stare, but Caleb ignored it.  
"Look, I'm just saying that she doesn't seem unhappy about being here, under your protection."  
"Or under Washington's. He wants to dine with her tonight." Ben mumbled in annoyance.  
"Yeah, whatever. But you should use it to your advantage. Let her believe that you're about to let her go. See her reaction. Maybe she'll say something."  
"I don't know, Caleb… I'm confused. More than usually."  
"Yes, we can all see that, and it's gonna cost you your title if you don't pull yourself together!"  
"I swear to God, if you weren't my best friend…"  
"You're lucky that I am!" Caleb smirked.

"There's a message for you, sir." A soldier approached them and handed Ben a letter. Washington's handwriting was on the outside.  
Ben opened it, and his face lit up as he read its contents.  
"What is it? Where did the happy face come from?" Caleb asked.  
"What happy face?" Ben asked pretending to be indifferent.  
"What's he saying?" Caleb tried again.  
"He just wants me to join him for dinner tonight." Ben replied with a shrug of his shoulders.  
"Let me guess…" Caleb rolled his eyes. "…And bring the lass?"  
"Something like that." Ben said trying to hide a smile. "Although he didn't phrase it like that."

#

"Are you ready to go, miss?" Ben asked from outside Lavinia's quarters. She had been accommodated in the same marquee as before the move. They had no other need for it here, anyway.  
She came outside at that very moment.  
"I'm ready, Major." She said and took the arm that he offered her. "Should I be worried about this?"  
"No, he just wants to meet you, I'm sure." Ben tried to calm her down. She seemed nervous.  
"Will you be there the whole time?"  
"I hope so." Ben replied truthfully. She took a firmer grip of his arm and gave a little smile.  
"I hope so, too."  
One happy, little butterfly found its way to Ben's stomach at her words. At least she trusted him more than she did anyone else in the camp.

Washington's quarters were located a good distance from Lavinia's, so it took the two of them some time to walk there. Ben's own men were used to the sight of him and Lavinia walking through camp, but the rest of the men were not. It occurred to Ben that most of them probably hadn't seen a woman of any sort for a very long time. Some of them sent Lavinia looks that he didn't like much, and he could tell by her holding on to him, the way that she did that she didn't like it much, either.  
"Don't worry about them." He said and felt her moving a little closer. "I won't let anyone near you."  
"How chivalrous!" She smiled at him and made him blush again. He wasn't sure if she was teasing him, or if she was being serious.

Washington's servant let them into his quarters, and while they waited for the general to acknowledge their presence, Lavinia kept holding on to Ben's arm.  
When Washington finally looked up from the letter he was scrutinizing, he didn't say anything. He just smiled and came over to them. He gave a nod at Ben, and then he reached out for Lavinia's hand to kiss it once more. She had to let go of Ben for him to do so.  
"I'm delighted that you accepted my invitation, miss." He finally spoke.  
For the first time ever, Ben suddenly felt like a traitor. He felt a great reluctance towards his general, which he wasn't supposed to. He brushed it off, but something inside of him wouldn't quite let the feeling go. He chose to ignore it, but it was still there.

"So, how do you find your quarters, miss?" General Washington asked after a while. They were at the first course, and conversation hadn't come naturally so far. "Do you find everything to your satisfaction?"  
"Well…" Lavinia hesitated for a very short moment. "My quarters are just fine, sir."  
"But…?"  
"No _but_ , sir."  
"Miss Lavinia was allowed to walk around the camp before." Ben explained. "I had someone escort her, whenever she needed some fresh air."  
"Ah." Washington said. Then he was quiet for a while. Eating.  
"I'll permit it." He finally said and looked at Ben. "But I will hold you responsible, should anything unintended happen."  
"Yes, sir." Ben replied and glanced at Lavinia. She was looking at her plate, but she was smiling. Good.  
"Thank you, sir." She replied without looking up.  
"I will send for some…remedies." Washington continued. "Women's stuff. A new gown. Would that suit you?"  
Lavinia looked up at him in surprise.  
"Yes, that would be very welcome indeed." She exclaimed joyfully.  
He just smiled in a way that Ben couldn't read. The latter wasn't sure he liked where this was going. He was, of course, happy for Lavinia, but he didn't like the interest that Washington showed in her.  
"Sir, I was wondering…" Ben began, though he knew he shouldn't say this in front of Lavinia. "Maybe it would be wiser to send Miss Lavinia to safety, instead of letting her stay in camp."  
Lavinia looked up at him a little too quickly for Ben not to notice. She did not look happy. In fact, she looked rather hurt.  
"Do not concern yourself with such matters, Major Tallmadge." Washington replied. Ben didn't fail to see the reprimand in his eyes. He had expected it. He shouldn't question his superior's decisions, but he needed to see her reaction to the thought of being sent away.  
"Of course not, sir." He replied and shook his head a little, pretending to find himself foolish for asking.

The majority of the conversation during dinner was between Washington and Lavinia. Most of the time he would ask the questions, and she would answer them politely. There was no sign of the teasing tone, which she had so often used with Ben, but Washington still seemed quite taken with her. Whenever he would ask Ben a question, the latter would answer politely, but nothing more. He couldn't help it. He was feeling awful, and he wanted this dinner to be over as soon as possible.  
"Major Tallmadge, you're very quiet tonight." Washington stated sometime during the third course. "You don't usually seem to have a problem with speaking your mind."  
"Sorry, sir." Ben replied. Washington may have been teasing him, but it had no effect. Not tonight. "I mean no offense. I'm just tired."  
"None taken." Washington replied with one of his secretive smiles. He seemed almost amused, but why would he be?  
"Perhaps you should escort Miss Lavinia back to her quarters soon." He then said to Ben's surprise. It was still rather early, and they weren't done eating yet.  
"Yes, sir." The latter replied nonetheless and finished what was on his plate.  
Lavinia didn't object. She didn't seem too comfortable answering questions, but so far she had evaded all Washington's attempts to gather any information from her, which could lead to who she was or what she had been doing in the woods. Ben was rather impressed. Washington's interrogations were not easy to withstand, especially when disguised as polite conversation.

#

"Did he say I could walk around on my own?" Lavinia asked as soon as they had left Washington's quarters.  
"Not exactly _on your own_." Ben replied. "You will still need a guard to accompany you."  
"Yes, I know, but I don't have to stay inside all the time?"  
"No."  
"Can I pick my own guards?" She asked with a pleading look at him. Ben wanted to give in to her. She was looking up at him through her long, dark eyelashes, and she very well knew what it was doing to him. "Please?"  
Ben gave a little laugh.  
"Miss Lavinia. _I'm_ the one making that decision." He smiled back at her. "I'll make sure to pick your guards among my own men, but that's all I can promise you on the matter."  
"That's all I ask, Major." She said happily and put her free hand on his arm that she was already holding on to. "Thank you."  
She reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek, and left him flustered for a moment. Then he walked her back to her quarters in silence.


	13. Setauket

**# 13 - Setauket**

 _Ben's POV_

"There's a letter from Abe." Caleb said entering Ben's quarters without asking for permission. He had been away to gather intelligence for a couple of days, and Ben hadn't expected him back so soon.  
"What's he saying?" Ben asked, knowing all too well that Caleb didn't refrain from reading the letters that were meant for his major. Well, to be fair, Ben always shared all information with him anyway, so he didn't bother telling him not to.  
"It's your father."  
"My father?" Ben exclaimed and jumped to his feet. "Is he…?"  
"No, but read this." Caleb said and handed him the letter.  
Ben opened the letter and let his eyes run rapidly down the paper.  
"He's been shot? But how? Why?"  
Caleb didn't reply. He knew no more than Ben did at this point. The letter only said that Reverend Tallmadge had been shot, and that they were fighting to save his life. Abe would leave another letter as soon as he knew more.  
"I have to go." Ben said and walked outside resolutely.  
"You'll get caught!" Caleb argued and followed him. "Setauket is swarming with redcoats, remember?"  
"I'll sneak in. Wear a disguise. They won't see me."  
"At least bring some backup!"  
"Do I need to give the order?" Ben raised an eyebrow at his best friend.  
Caleb rolled his eyes.  
"You owe me, Benny."

There was no time to explain to anyone (and Ben also didn't want anyone to know that they were going on a personal mission), so he made up a story that he had to go see his informant in Setauket, which wasn't entirely untrue. He did have something to ask both Abe and Anna, his childhood friends, who were now part of the Culper ring – a network of spies who gathered intelligence for General Washington.  
His only regret about leaving, was the fact that he didn't get to say goodbye to Lavinia, and that he couldn't send a message telling her why he had to leave. She would have to find out on her own that he had left. But would it matter to her at all? Definitely not as much as it would to him, although he did have a feeling that she had begun to appreciate his company.

#

Ben and Caleb reached Setauket close to midnight. There was no way, two men could go by land at this time of the day and not be considered suspicious, so they had had to leave their horses behind and cross the sound instead. Caleb kept a small boat hidden in the woods by the shore, so he could cross over to Setauket, whenever he needed to gather letters or pass on information to Abe. The dark and the fog would hide them, so no one would see them crossing in Caleb's boat.  
When they reached the shore on the other side, Ben jumped from the boat and hurried uphill through the woods towards the village.  
"Wait a minute." Caleb whispered from behind, making the boat fast. "Maybe there's a letter."

The night was pitch black, and so it took Ben a moment to find the tree that they used as their secret hiding place for letters. The moon would be up by now, but it was so cloudy and foggy that no light reached them between the trees. Good, Ben thought. It would make it easier to sneak into the village without anyone seeing them.  
When he found the tree, he searched for the hole, which less than a handful of people knew about. Caleb and Abe used it for passing secret messages along to each other.  
"There's no letter." Ben whispered as he found it and reached his hand into it. "That's a good thing, right?"  
"Yeah. Abe promised he'd let us know if anything should happen."  
Ben sighed with relief. His father was still alive.

They had known these woods all their lives, so they had no trouble hurrying through to the village, despite the fact that they couldn't see much. When they saw the first lights, however, they paused to watch and listen. A couple of British soldiers were patrolling the streets, but they didn't seem too alert. They could easily sneak past them without having to knock them out, and so they went from one shadow to the next, making sure no one saw them. The streets were lit by lanterns, but as long as they would stay on the back of the buildings, they would have a good chance of not being noticed by anyone.  
As they passed the tavern, a couple of drunken soldiers fell out into the street, laughing and singing. Ben and Caleb pressed themselves into the doorway on the back, but the door suddenly gave, and they stumbled inside. They quickly glanced around, but it was only the backroom, and, luckily, the owner wasn't there.

"Caleb! Ben!" A woman's voice exclaimed in happy recognition. Anna Strong, their childhood friend and now part of the Culper ring came up from the cellar. "What're you doing here?"  
They got to their feet and she hugged them both warmly, before they had a chance to reply.  
"My father…" Ben said. "Have you heard anything?"  
"Yes, he was shot the day before yesterday." Anna replied. "The doctor's been coming and going. He's still in a critical condition, but I heard he's getting better."  
"Thank you!" Ben sighed with relief. "Do you know who did it?"  
"Apparently, it was just a hunting accident. A rifle went off, when it wasn't supposed to, and your father was passing by in his cart."  
"Been too many _accidents_ lately." Caleb muttered. "Did they find out who shot Woodhull's father?"  
He was referring to an incident, in which Abe's father was shot and had almost died.  
"I think Abe knows, but he can't prove it."  
"Do you know where he is tonight?" Ben asked.  
"Probably somewhere close to your father. He's been watching him for you."  
They heard footsteps coming towards the backroom, and Caleb took a grip of Ben's arm to make him follow him outside.  
"Wait." Ben whispered. He suddenly remembered that he needed to ask Anna something. "Do you know of anyone in Setauket with a relative called Lavinia?"  
"Come on, Benji!" Caleb said and used force to drag him along.  
"Lavinia? No, I don't think so. Why?" Anna whispered with a frown.  
"I'll tell you some other time." Ben said and hurried outside with Caleb, closing the door behind them, just as the tavern owner opened the other one.  
"Let's find Abe and your father." Caleb said and they snuck on.

The lights were still lit, when they reached the house of Reverend Tallmadge. It made it easy to look through the windows without being seen. The doctor was there, but he seemed to be about to leave. Ben and Caleb had their faces against the windowpane, when someone grabbed them from behind. They both turned around on the spot, ready to strike, when their "attacker" broke into a laugh.  
"Abe!" Ben exclaimed with his heart in his throat.  
"Oh, Woody." Caleb said. "We almost killed you there, silly little boy!"  
"Good to see you, too." Abe said and hugged his friends one at a time. Then he looked at Ben. "You're father's doing better. I was just about to go home and write you a letter."  
"Thanks." Ben said, and then he kept silent. The doctor was leaving the house.  
They watched from the shadows, as he mounted his horse and rode off, before they thought it safe to enter the house.

Ben went straight upstairs to his father's chambers. Usually, his parents would share a bedchamber, but not when one of them was ill.  
"Father!" He exclaimed as he saw him in his bed, before he rushed to the bedside. The old man was looking pale, and his eyes were closed.  
A candle had been lit on the bedside table recently, so Ben figured his mother would still be up somewhere in the house.  
"Ben, is that you?" His father asked, not opening his eyes.  
"Yes, it's me."  
"You shouldn't be here. You'll get caught."  
"I won't get caught. And I had to see you."  
A small smile played upon the old man's lips.  
"Thank you, boy." He said and opened his eyes a little. "It's good to see you."  
Ben sat down in a chair next to the bed and took his father's hand.  
"Who did this to you?"  
"It was an accident."  
"Are you sure?" Ben asked and looked up at Abe. He and Caleb had followed him upstairs, but they didn't go any further than to the doorway to the bedchamber. Abe shrugged his shoulders, but he didn't say anything.  
"Yes, I'm sure." Reverend Tallmadge said and looked his son in the eye. "Don't trouble yourself about it."  
"What did the doctor say? We saw him leaving."  
"He said that I'm gonna make it." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before he continued. "Now, son, I need to rest. Your mother will want to see you."  
"Of course." Ben said and got up. "I'll come home again soon. If I can."  
"Don't. You'd better stay away until it's safe to return."  
"Alright. If you'll promise to stay out of trouble?"  
His father opened his eyes again and gave a little smile, but he didn't reply.

Ben left the room to go find his mother. It was after midnight, he was aware of that, but the doctor had just left. She would still be up somewhere. He went to the kitchen, and Caleb and Abe followed. She was there, just as expected, putting on the kettle to make a cup of tea.  
"Benjamin!" She exclaimed when she saw him and hurried over to throw her arms around him. She was much shorter than her son was, so he put his arms around her, too, and lifted her from the ground.  
"Put me down, you tall boy!" She laughed and Ben heard Caleb chuckle to himself. He put her down again, and for a few moments, she just looked at him. "Have you grown?"  
"Mother, I'm a grown man! I hardly think I'll get any taller."  
"Well, you're still my little boy!"  
"Mother!" Ben complained embarrassedly and beckoned towards Caleb and Abe. They just laughed, and so did his mother.  
Then Ben grew serious.  
"Father… How is he? I want the truth."  
"Doctor says he's gonna be alright."  
"And you're not lying? I mean…to protect me, or something?"  
"No, Benjamin, you're too old for that."  
Ben sighed. "Good. I'm glad."  
"Have you seen him?"  
"We were just with him."  
"How did you know?"  
"I just did." Ben replied and changed the subject. "Would you happen to have my old bed ready? Caleb will sleep on the floor."  
"Yes, I do. And of course there's one for Caleb, too, silly boy!" She replied with a smile at her beloved son. "You two never stop playing games, do you?"  
"No, ma'am." Caleb said from the doorway. "Keeps us on our toes."  
"Well, I'd better get going, then." Abe said and took a few steps towards the door.  
"Thank you." Ben said with a look at Abe, which his mother wasn't supposed to understand. "Oh, and Abe?" He suddenly remembered.  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you remember if anyone in Setauket, or in the area around, has a relative by the name of Lavinia?"  
"Lavinia what?"  
"I don't know."  
"Sorry. No. Why?"  
"No reason. Don't worry about it."  
"Alright." Abe said casually. "Take care!"  
"You too."

Ben was lost in his thoughts for a few moments, watching Abe leave.  
"I know someone." His mother then said and made him turn around on the spot to face her again.  
"You do?"  
"Yes. You know the old couple out by the willows? What's their name? Waller? Walker? Something like that."  
"The ones who had all the boring tea parties when we were young?"  
"Yes. You hated going there. When you were eight, you hid in the woods because you didn't want to go. We searched for you for almost a day, and none of us reached going to the tea party."  
"That doesn't sound much like Benny." Caleb interrupted with a frown.  
"Well, he wasn't always the perfect gentleman we raised him to be. Especially not when he had spent too much time with you, Caleb Brewster!" She scolded fondly.  
"Sorry, ma'am. That does sound like me." Caleb replied.  
"What about them? The Walkers?" Ben asked impatiently. He wanted to get to the point.  
"Well, Mrs. Walker had a sister or a cousin or something like that, whose children spent a summer with them. With the Walkers, I mean. The girl's name was Lavinia, and the boy… I don't remember his name, but he was your age. You and Samuel gave him quite a hard time, so he kept to himself a lot. Poor boy."  
"How old was I?"  
"You must've been five or six. I'm not sure."  
"I don't recall. Though, the story does sound familiar."  
"Maybe we've talked about it sometime."  
"You think it's her?" Caleb said with a look at Ben, which could've been both serious and teasing. He couldn't tell.  
"Maybe. It would explain why she seems so familiar." Ben replied. "Except, she must have been very young. Would we be able to recognize her now?"  
"You're the one who thinks she looks familiar. I never noticed."  
"Who are we talking about? Have you met a girl?" Ben's mother asked expectantly.  
"We're not sure." He replied. "It's just… It's complicated. I'm not supposed to talk about it."  
"So you haven't met a girl?"  
"No, mother!" Ben sighed. "That's not what this is about."  
"Oh." She sounded disappointed. Caleb chuckled. "Well, we'd better go get your beds ready, then. Will you be gone in the morning?"  
"I'm afraid so." Ben said and meant it. He hated that they had to sneak off before the break of dawn. But at least his father was going to be alright. That was the main reason for their journey.


	14. Of Jealousy and Misery

**# 14 - Of Jealousy and Misery**

 _Lavinia's POV_

Lavinia rose from her chair to go take a look outside. She hadn't noticed until now that it was getting dark. She had been reading one of the books that Major Tallmadge had brought her, but she failed to concentrate. It had been going on for a while now. She didn't know how many times she had reread the current page, and in the end she gave up.  
She had had plenty of time to read, though. She liked reading, but she was feeling bored. No one had been to see her for a couple of days, except for a servant bringing her a meal three times a day. Once, she had asked one of the guards to go for a walk with her, but it just wasn't the same here. The camp was much bigger than before, and the chances of running into anyone, who would actually want to talk to her, were rather small.

"Excuse me?" She asked the guards outside. She felt silly for asking, but she had to know. Both guards turned around to look at her. "Would you take me to see Major Tallmadge, please?"  
"He's not here, miss." One of the soldiers replied. He was young - probably a few years younger than herself. She had seen him a couple of times before, but she didn't know his name.  
She was a bit disappointed to find out that the major was not available, and she was just about to inquire about it, when the other - somewhat older - soldier beat her to it.  
"He's not? Where's he gone off to? I haven't heard anything."  
"Secret mission, I suppose." The first one replied and obviously tried to signal to the second one that Lavinia was listening.  
"Ah, yes…" She tried. "I haven't seen him for at least three days. Do you know how long he'll be gone?"  
"He only left yesterday morning. You've seen him, haven't you?" The young soldier asked skeptically.  
"Yesterday morning?" Lavinia feigned surprise. "Oh, of course. Yes, he did mention that he would have to leave for a while. I forgot."  
"But he can't have, miss. He only got the letter right before he left."  
"The letter?"  
This time, it was the older soldier's turn to eye the young one in a reprimanding way, although the latter didn't seem to notice.  
"I don't know what it said, but, apparently, it was something important. He just said he'd be back today, and then he left with Lieutenant Brewster."  
"He said he'd be back today?" Lavinia asked with a frown. "It's rather late already. Are you sure?"  
"That's what he said, miss."  
"And you're saying too much, you idiot!" The other soldier said. Finally, the young one seemed to get it.  
"I'm not saying anything further." He said and turned away with a determined look on his face.  
Oh well, Lavinia had already gotten the answers that she wanted. Except, she would've wanted them to be different.

She went inside again, sitting down for a while - thinking. She couldn't help but feel a bit worried, as the major wasn't back yet, when he was supposed to be. What if something had happened to him? If he never came back? Of course, she only worried what would happen to _her_ , if he never came back. Right?

For a while, she had been angry with him. She didn't like to admit it, but he hurt her. It was probably foolish of her, but she had thought they were getting closer. Like friends. And when he had asked if he could call her by her first name, she had been glad, almost happy, because it meant that he felt it, too. And then, like all of a sudden, he took it back and walked out on her. It hurt, because she really needed a friend, and he had taken that away from her.  
And then, when she heard the rumors about why he had gotten into that fight, she felt bad for being angry with him. He had only tried to protect her honor. Well, maybe his own, too, but that's not what the rumors said.  
She had listened in on a conversation that the guards posted outside had had. They forgot to consider the fact that she could hear much more than what they intended through the canvas of the tent, and she did nothing to let them now. It was her source of information, when no one else would tell her what was going on. That's how she knew about the embarrassing rumors, though she pretended not to have heard.

When General Washington had requested her company for dinner, she had been terrified. She didn't know why, but she had. It comforted her to find out that Ben - Well, Major Tallmadge - would be there, too, although the dinner had been pretty awkward. He had seemed uncomfortable, but who wouldn't be in the presence of someone like General Washington? And then again, it had seemed like more than that. Or like something else, at least. Somehow, he had seemed almost jealous. But could that really be the case? And why would he be? And jealous of what exactly? Surely, he wasn't jealous because of the interest that the general showed in her? He was just being polite and sociable, and, besides, what was it to Ben? He didn't care for her like that, anyway. She always teased him. If anything, he would find her annoying.

She really should to stop teasing him all the time. It wasn't fair. But it was so easy, and she loved the look on his face, whenever she would give him a peck on the cheek. But after the rumors… Yeah, she would definitely have to stop. She didn't want to make his men laugh at him and make him miserable. After all, she did sort of care for him.  
And the camp was so boring without his company.


	15. A Glimpse of the Truth

**# 15 - A Glimpse of the Truth**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben and Caleb left Setauket before the break of dawn. It was a long way back to camp, and it was very late in the evening, when they finally reached it. They both went straight to bed, not bothering to tell anyone that they had returned. Ben felt an urge to stop by Lavinia's quarters just to make sure everything was alright, but he resisted, as it would be very inappropriate at this time. She would probably also be asleep. It didn't take long before he, too, fell asleep.

The next morning, Ben went for a walk through camp. He was heading towards Lavinia's quarters, but he didn't need to walk that far, as she had gone for a walk, too.  
He noticed her before she did him. She was wearing a new gown, so Washington's supplies must have arrived already. It was a dark green, and it made her look so breathtaking that Ben stopped in his tracks to take in the sight. He imagined that it matched her emerald eyes very well, though he couldn't tell from the distance.  
Lavinia turned her face in Ben's direction and caught sight of him. Her face lit up when she did, and she immediately changed her direction and walked towards him.  
Ben heard some of the men whisper things about her, which made him want to punch them in the face, but they kept quiet, when she came closer. He would have to deal with them later.

"Major!" Lavinia smiled at him as she came nearer. "You've returned!"  
She seemed happy, for some reason. Surely, it had nothing to do with him? He took a deep breath before he spoke.  
"Miss Lavinia." He greeted her and let her take his arm when she reached out for it. "I trust you've been taken good care of, while I've been away?"  
"Yes, thank you, I have." She said and smiled at him. Yes, the green gown definitely became her. Her eyes looked darker and even prettier than before.  
"But you went away so sudden." She continued. "And no one would tell me where you had gone off to, or when you would be back."  
"No…" Ben gave a small smile. "They're not supposed to give you that kind of information."  
"Of course." She replied. "But it would've been nice to know."  
He gave a little laugh at this.  
"Well, now that I'm back, I guess I can tell you." He said and stopped walking to have a better look at her. "My father was taken ill. I had to go back to see if he was going to be alright." There was no need to give her any details.  
"I'm very sorry to hear that." She said seriously. "Will he be alright, then?"  
"Yes, he should recover completely."  
"I'm happy to hear that."

They walked on, and Ben ignored the stares from the soldiers across camp. Lavinia _was_ a beautiful woman. Of course they couldn't help staring. Neither could he.  
"Were you in any danger, Major?" She asked after a moment. "I mean, your father would be in Setauket, I believe, and as far as I know, the British are controlling the town at the moment?"  
The thought of Lavinia fearing for his safety made him completely ignorant about her slip. She knew too much about the village for someone who pretended to have no interest in it, but he didn't notice.  
"Not in any immediate danger." Ben said and thought about exaggerating the situation a bit. He didn't. "But thank you for your concern. It means a lot to me."  
Was he being too bold?  
"Your safety means a lot to _me_ , Major." She replied and smiled at him. There was no teasing undertone.  
It astounded him completely, and for a while, he wasn't able to speak, so they just walked on. When he _was_ able to speak again, he remembered his mother's story.  
"Miss Lavinia…" He began. "There's something I need to ask you."  
"Yes?"  
He watched her closely as he spoke.  
"Do you know the Walker family of Setauket?"  
Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a split second, Ben thought he saw fear in them.  
"Uh…No." She said distractedly. "When I said that thing about Setauket, I only meant to confuse you. I'm not from Setauket."  
"But…"  
"I'm telling you the truth." She said and looked away. The happiness had completely vanished.  
"I know you didn't grow up there. I would've remembered. But you could have relatives there."  
"But I don't." Lavinia said and let go of Ben's arm. She seemed angry. Or hurt. He couldn't tell.  
"Alright. I believe you." He lied and knew that his mother had been right. She was definitely the Lavinia who had spent a summer at the house by the willows. But she would've been very young back then. Only a couple of years old or so. That was not the reason why she seemed so familiar.

#

"Your bonnie lass has completely turned the men's heads." Caleb said as he walked in on Ben shaving in his tent a few days later.  
"I know." Ben replied concentrating on not cutting his face with the razor.  
"You're not even gonna reprimand me for calling her that?" Caleb asked disappointedly.  
"What's the use? You're not gonna refrain from it in the future, anyway."  
"Nah, you're right."  
Ben finished shaving and dried off the remaining foam with a cloth.  
"What did you want?"  
"You're in a foul mood today, huh?"  
Ben shrugged his shoulders. He _was_ in a bad mood. He had to talk to Washington about a matter, which he didn't want to talk about.  
"Well, I just wanted to let you know what the men are saying."  
"What're they saying."  
"Well, I won't tell you the exact words, because you'll only pass out like a girl…" Ben rolled his eyes with a sigh. He was not in the mood for Caleb teasing him. "…But the stuff they say about the lass is not nice. Actually, it's so bad that I would not let her stay much longer, if I were you."  
"I know." Ben muttered. "That's why I'm on my way to Washington. She needs to go. For her own safety."  
"So _that's_ the reason for the foul mood!"  
Ben didn't reply.

#

"Major Tallmadge." General Washington said without looking up, when Ben entered his quarters.  
"Sir." Ben said holding his hat in his hand.  
"You have a certain matter you would like to discuss with me?" He finally looked up.  
"Yes, sir. It's about Miss Lavinia."  
"Ah. The young lady. I was wondering when you'd come see me about her."  
"Sir?" Ben asked confused.  
"What is the matter you want to discuss?" Washington ignored Ben's implied question.  
"I fear she's no longer safe in the camp, sir. We ought to send her somewhere safe."  
"Why wouldn't she be safe?"  
"Because the men…" He hesitated. "You told me that you would hold me responsible if anything should happen to her, sir. I'm afraid something will happen, if she's not sent away."  
Washington didn't reply. He just looked at Ben for a while. The latter waited impatiently for an answer.  
"So…" He finally said. "You want to send the lady to safety?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And I assume you already know where to send her? Have you found her family yet?"  
"She has relatives in Setauket. I'm not sure yet, exactly how they're related, but they are."  
"Setauket? You would send her to the British?"  
"No, sir. I mean… I have men there who could watch her. I can even spare a few to send along, until I know the facts about her family."  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Major… You're from Setauket yourself, right?"  
"Yes, sir. I am." Ben replied. This didn't go well. His hands were getting sweaty, and he felt really warm despite the chill autumn air that would reach him from outside now and then.  
"And let me guess… You would like to escort the young lady to Setauket?"  
"Sir, my duty is to you and to my men. I would only make the journey myself, if you asked me to."  
For the first time during their conversation, Washington looked pleased. He even gave one of his secretive smiles. Ben had no idea what that meant.  
"Very well, Benjamin. You may escort the lady to Setauket. Pick two of your own men to accompany you, and let them stay to watch her a couple of days until you're sure she is not a spy. Don't let her know that they will be…"  
"I _am_ sure she's not…" Ben interrupted him, but Washington silenced him with a reprimanding stare before he continued.  
"You won't let her know that they'll be watching her. She'll think that they went back with you, and you will let Culper in on this, so that he may aid you and send you intelligence on the matter, when the soldiers leave again. I will only allow this, because she may still be a spy. If your men, or Culper, can find out more, this could work to our advantage."  
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Ben said relieved. He didn't want to let her go, but he also didn't want anything to happen to her. This was the perfect solution. Especially because he, personally, got to make sure that she would arrive safely in his hometown.  
"You'll leave in the morning." Washington brought him back to the present. "How long will it take you?"  
"I expect it will take two or three days to reach the town when we bring a woman. It should take no longer than a day for me to get back."  
"Very well, then. I expect you to report to me in four days' time."  
"Of course, sir." Ben said happily. "Thank you, sir."


	16. Queen's Rangers

**# 16 - Queen's Rangers**

 _Ben's POV_

The next morning, Ben and two of his men prepared to leave. He would've preferred to bring Caleb along, but he had to choose two men, who could stay behind in Setauket for a few days, so he chose Turner and Long, two young patriots, who had shown good judgement on several occasions lately, and Ben trusted them.  
The three of them would have to disguise themselves, so they put on clothes to make them look like civilians. They didn't have a ladies' coat, so Lavinia would have to do with one of theirs, but as she had been doing fine this way so far, she would do fine on the journey, too.  
They equipped their horses with blankets and food to last for three days, and for Lavinia they brought a canvas cover that would have to do as a tent. The men would have to sleep under the open sky, with only their blankets to protect them from the weather.  
Fortunately, the sky was clear this morning.

Ben left the two soldiers with their horses to go get Lavinia. He hadn't told her last night that they would be leaving, as he didn't want her to worry, so he had sent someone to tell her this morning. He would've preferred to tell her personally, but he hadn't had the time.  
"Miss Lavinia?" He asked and entered the marquee. He assumed that she was ready for traveling, so she would be decent.  
"Yes, Major." She replied from inside. She was sitting by the desk, staring into the canvas of the tent.  
"Are you ready to go?"  
"Do I have to?" She sighed and looked at him with a look of despair in her eyes.  
"It's for your own safety." Ben said and took a step in her direction.  
Suddenly, he wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He didn't, of course.  
"Who will accompany me?" Lavinia asked and got up to pick up her few belongings.  
"I will. And Turner and Long."  
"You will?" She exclaimed in surprise. "The polite young man, who was here before, said you were sending me away!"  
"I am. But General Washington told me to bring you safely to your destination."  
"And where is my destination?"  
There was no reason he couldn't tell her now.  
"Setauket."  
"Setauket? But..." Tears filled her eyes.  
Ben felt a little awkward. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how. He also didn't know why it made her so sad.  
"You told me that you don't know anyone in Setauket." He then said, though he knew that she did. "Why is it so bad, then?"  
"I just... Please, not Setauket, Major!"  
"I'm afraid I can't do much about it, when you won't tell me why." Ben said. He, too, was feeling somewhat down. "We should get going."

The party set out from camp a few hours after the break of dawn. They had a long ride ahead of them, and Ben kept a fast pace, so that they would have a good chance of finding the perfect spot to set up their small camp. Though there had been no sightings of British soldiers, since the raid on the camp, he still wanted to make sure that they weren't easily found, and if they were, they would have a good chance at hiding and defending themselves. There was a place he knew about in the woods, which he wanted to reach before nightfall, but bringing a lady along, he couldn't set the same pace as usual.  
"What're you thinking about, Major?" Lavinia interrupted his lines of thoughts. She was riding in the middle of the small party alongside Ben. Turner and Long were in front and at the rear. Ben knew that he was probably being overly protective, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance.  
"I'm just wondering whether we'll reach the camp spot before sundown or not." He replied.  
They hadn't spoken much since they left camp in the morning. Ben had tried to strike up a conversation, but she had avoided it with polite replies and nothing more.  
"Shall we?"  
"There's a good chance, yes."  
"I'm glad."  
No one spoke for a moment. Then Ben broke the silence.  
"Miss Lavinia, are you alright?"  
"I would be, if you'd let me go." It was more a half-hearted inquiry than it was a statement.  
Her reply struck Ben like lightning. It was the first time he had heard her talk about leaving. Except for when she had been teasing him, when she first arrived at the camp. Until now, she had seemed almost pleased with being there. Under his protection, as Caleb would've said.  
"Ugh!" He sighed with annoyance. "If you would just tell me WHY, then I might let you go!"  
He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he was frustrated by the fact that he couldn't help her, when she clearly needed it.  
"I'm sorry." She said quietly and looked away for a few moments. Then she looked back at him. "Would you believe me if I said I didn't do anything illegal?"  
"But you _did_ do something?"  
"It wasn't illegal. I mean… Not really illegal."  
Ben couldn't help smiling at this.  
"So… You only did something a little bit illegal?" He asked amused. At least it wasn't murder. For some reason he felt greatly relieved, although he had never believed her to be a murderer.  
"No, it just wasn't illegal. Not really."  
Ben gave a small laugh.  
"It's still not enough, I'm afraid, though I do believe you."  
"You do?" She asked with genuine surprise in her voice.  
"Yes, but my beliefs won't buy you your freedom."  
"Thank you anyway, I guess." She replied, and Ben replied with a smile and a nod. At least she was talking to him again. It would've been a very long journey if she had kept quiet all the way to Setauket.

#

When the sun began to set, they reached the spot that Ben had relied on for their first camp. He jumped off his horse and helped Lavinia get down from hers, before he told the two soldiers to unload the food and the blankets from their own horses. He was reaching out to take his own bag, when there was a shot, and one of the soldiers fell to the ground. It was Turner.  
Ben grabbed Lavinia with his free hand and practically threw her behind a tree, while signaling to Long what to do. The latter was hiding behind another tree, pistol in hand. Ben drew his own pistol, but he couldn't get a clear view of the attackers. They heard another couple of shots, and one of the horses collapsed. The other ones ran.  
Long signaled to Ben that they were four attackers, and Ben popped out from behind the tree and aimed at one of them. Another shot, and they were three attackers left. A bullet whistled past his head, right as he pulled back behind the tree. Lavinia let out a small scream and looked as if she was going to run, which would be the certain death of her, so Ben pressed her against the tree trunk, his body more or less covering hers, as he prepared to aim again.  
He signaled to Long, and they fired at the same time, taking two soldiers down. Long quickly aimed again, but Ben heard the shot, before Long even had a chance to pull the trigger. He watched him fall, and so did Lavinia. She didn't make a sound, but she looked very pale.  
"You're not gonna pass out on me!" Ben hissed and shook her shoulders, but her eyes already seemed distant. "Look at me!" Ben shook her again, and tried to catch her eye. After another moment, she started focusing again. "You're still with me?"  
She gave a vague nod, and Ben held on to her, while preparing another shot at their unknown enemy. Whoever it was, fired first, and Ben practically felt the bullet whistle past his ear, but he set in with another shot and heard the attacker moan. He used it to his advantage and shot twice, making sure that the enemy fell to the ground.

For a while, he stood still, listening, and pressing Lavinia against the tree. Not a sound was heard, not even from the horse on the ground. When he finally dared to have a look, everything was silent. He told Lavinia to stay put, while he examined the battleground, and she did. She was too scared not to do as she was told.  
Turner and Long were lying on the ground, both dead. The horse was deadly injured, and Ben finished it off with his blade. The other three horses were nowhere to be seen, and there was no sound of them galloping away. They would be long gone.  
Four Queen's Rangers lay dead. He searched them for any intelligence that they might have carried, but he found none.

"You can come out now, but it's not a pretty sight." He told Lavinia, and she quietly appeared from behind the tree. She looked around, and then she started gathering things. She was very calm, despite the situation.  
The horse had still been carrying a blanket and a bag of food, and she picked up both. Ben was rather astounded, but also relieved. She may have been in a state of shock, but she was still able to act rationally.  
He picked up Turner's pistol, which hadn't been fired yet. Their attackers had been carrying plenty, so he picked up a few of theirs as well along with a musket.  
"We need to get away from here." He told Lavinia, when there was no more for them to take from the battleground. They would have to leave the bodies behind.  
"Yes." She replied quietly and came over to him. "Do you know where to go?"  
"I hope so." He replied and handed her a pistol. "You should take this."  
Lavinia looked up at him in surprise.  
"You'd trust me with that?"  
"Don't be silly. We're in this together. And I don't think you're going to kill me." He said seriously.  
She sighed in despair.  
"I don't know how to use it, anyway."  
Ben thought he saw her eyes tearing up, and he put the pistol back in his belt. Then he pulled her close for a moment.  
"We'll get through this." He whispered, caressing her hair with his hand. "I promise."  
"I know." She replied and pulled back to give him a small, reassuring smile. "And thank you."


	17. In the Wild

**# 17 - In the Wild**

 _Ben's POV_

They walked for at least a couple of hours in the moonlight, none of them saying a word. They were tired and hungry, but Ben wanted to get far away from the battleground before allowing them any rest.  
"Major…" Lavinia said when climbing past some rocks. They were going uphill through the woods. Ben wanted to get away from the paths in the valley down below.  
He stopped to take her hand and help her over the rocks. She looked exhausted.  
"It's fine here." He said and looked around in the dim light from the moon. There was sort of a hollow in the ground over by some trees and bushes. No one would see them if they set up a camp there. Well, _set up a camp_ was not exactly an option, but they could hide there and get some rest.  
"Over here." He said and held on to Lavinia's hand. She followed him blindly, stumbling once, but otherwise keeping up with him. Had he not been so tired and exhausted himself, he would've been impressed by her endurance.

They sat down and found something to eat. Ben was grateful that they had at least that one bag of food. And a blanket. He took the blanket, unfolded it and put it over Lavinia's shoulders.  
"Thank you." She mumbled, and they ate in silence.

When they were done eating, Ben offered Lavinia his coat, so that she wouldn't have to lie on the bare ground.  
"But you'll get cold!" She objected and refused to take it. Yes, but so would she, and he believed that he was more likely to withstand the cold than she was.  
"We'll share." Lavinia stated and moved a little closer to him.  
"We'll what?" He asked bewildered.  
"We'll share." She said again. "Come on, Major. It would be stupid not to. If we don't, we'll both get cold, and neither of us will get any sleep."  
"Alright." He said reluctantly and spread his coat out on the ground. It felt very odd, but she was right, of course.

Lavinia was the first one to lie down, and so she made room for Ben under the blanket. If only Caleb could see him now, he thought sarcastically and crawled under the woolen blanket. They lay back to back, and Ben was happy for the darkness. At least she wouldn't be able to see how pink his cheeks had turned.  
"Major?" She whispered after a while. Ben was still wide awake.  
"Yes?"  
"May I call you Benjamin?"  
He smiled to himself before he replied.  
"I'd rather you'd call me Ben."  
"Ben... You may call me Lavinia, if you want to."  
"Thank you." Ben replied in a whisper. She couldn't see it, of course, but he was smiling all over his face, despite their unfortunate situation.

#

Sometime during the night, Ben must've fallen asleep, though he hadn't thought it possible. He woke up again not long before dawn. Somehow, he must've turned over in his sleep without waking up, as he found himself facing Lavinia's back. Her hair was tickling his nose, and his arms were around her. He thought about pulling away from her, but it was very cold outside the blanket, and he didn't want to wake her up. Well, at least that was the excuse he told himself, when arguing whether to remove his arms or not. So he lay still, inhaling the sweet scent of her, before falling back to sleep.

#

It was broad daylight when Ben woke up again. For a moment he lay still without opening his eyes. Then it occurred to him that he was alone under the blanket. He opened his eyes and looked around, but he couldn't see Lavinia anywhere. He jumped to his feet so quickly that it made him feel dizzy for a few moments, but when the dizziness had lifted, his eyes darted around trying to spot her somewhere. He didn't dare call her name, in case they weren't alone, so he found the best spot he could, to give him a good view over the valley below.  
His heart was racing, and too many thoughts were going around in his head. Had she left by her own free will, or had someone caught her when she was stretching her legs? Or had she had an accident? The hills were steep and full of rocks. She could've hurt herself when going to obey the call of nature, and not be able to get back?

"What's the matter?" Ben felt his heart skip a beat, when he heard Lavinia's voice, and he spun around to face her. "You look upset. Did anything happen?"  
"No…I just…" Ben tried and took a few steps towards her. "Please, don't do that again!"  
"What? I was just finding us some water." She said and held up his canteen. "There's a small stream down below."  
"Well, next time you decide to go anywhere, please let me know." Ben said with a sigh.  
"Tell me, Ben…" Lavinia said sounding somewhere in between annoyed and amused. "…Were you afraid that I would've turned on you? Or were you concerned for my safety?"  
Ben looked around, avoiding her eye, while searching for a way round telling the truth. He didn't find one, which wouldn't sound wrong, so he took a deep breath before he told her.  
"I was…merely concerned for your safety." He admitted with a sigh and looked back at her.  
"In that case…" She said and gave him a peck on the cheek. "…I'll make sure to tell you the next time."  
She handed him the canteen and left him dumbstruck on the spot, and picked up the bag from the ground.  
"You should eat something." She said and handed him a piece of bread. "I already had my share. Sorry I didn't wait. I was hungry, and you were sound asleep."

What just happened there? Ben was confused by the sudden confidence in her voice. Was she taking charge? And was he letting her?  
Anyway, he sat down to get something to eat. He offered Lavinia some of his bread, but she wouldn't take it. She seemed cheerful despite their rather hopeless situation, and when Ben had finished eating, she was the one to break up their non-existent camp. They had to get going.

They refilled the canteen by the stream and walked on, trying to avoid paths. It was harder to walk off-path, but Ben didn't want to take any chances. The two of them alone would stand no chance against the Queen's Rangers, should they be searching for them.  
"Do you know where we're going?" Lavinia asked after a while. She was keeping up with Ben's rather fast pace.  
"Back to camp." He replied and hoped he was right. "But there's a long way to go. I'm not sure how far from our initial route we came last night, but with a bit of luck we'll reach the camp sometime tomorrow."  
"And if we don't?"  
"Then we'll have to camp out in the open again. And walk on the next morning."  
"We don't have much food left."  
"I know. We'll have to make it suffice. If we had some sort of line, then, maybe, we could catch a rabbit."  
"But could we light a fire to cook it? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"  
"A small one in the daylight would be okay, I believe. But there's no use. We don't have any line."  
"But we do…" Lavinia said with sly smile and stopped walking.  
"We do?" Ben asked with a frown and stopped, too.  
She turned her back to him and pulled down her coat. It took him a moment to realize what she meant. Her girdle. A long cord tightened it on the back.  
"Oh, no." Ben said and looked away. Flustered. "No, we can't do that."  
"Come on!" She complained. "If you could catch a rabbit? I can remove it myself. You wouldn't have to touch me."  
Ben turned away from her and sighed loudly in embarrassed frustration. Then he turned back to face her.  
"You would still have to…take off…" He didn't finish.  
Lavinia chuckled.  
"I would have to _open_ my gown, not take it off. You're quite prissy, aren't you?" She was obviously enjoying this.  
"I'm just trying to be a gentleman!" Ben objected. He was very well aware of the fact that his face had turned a hot pink. "I'm trying to do the right thing."  
"The right thing would be to feed a starving lady." Lavinia teased, but it worked, and she knew it. And Ben knew that she knew.  
"Alright." He finally gave in and stomped off. "We'll set a snare tonight. Are you coming?"  
He heard her laugh behind him, but she did follow.


	18. Always a Patriot

**# 18 - Always a Patriot**

 _Ben's POV_

They camped, while there was still enough light for Ben to set the trap. It had begun raining, so they were lucky to find a dry spot underneath a small ledge of a cliff, where they could spend the night.  
Though they wouldn't have any need for it until the morning, Ben collected some firewood, while Lavinia untied her girdle. He tried not to look, but a few times, he couldn't help it. He got lost in his thoughts, watching the cord revealing more and more of the pale skin beneath. He gulped and shook his head and continued with the firewood. When he was done, he had more than enough to make a small fire the next morning.  
"Here you go." Lavinia said and handed him the cord. She didn't seem very comfortable, and a sudden impulse made him take off his coat and put it over her shoulders.  
"Thanks." She said and squeezed his hand. She was kind enough to just accept it, without mentioning her own coat, although Ben felt rather stupid, when he noticed it hanging on a small branch of a tree nearby.

He set up the rabbit trap some distance away from the spot, where they would sleep. The rain was soaking him, so he hurried back to sit under the ledge with Lavinia. She had taken off his coat and put on her own.  
"You'll freeze!" She stated and handed him the coat, and he gladly took it. He put it on and sat down next to her, and they shared some of the food. They didn't have much left, and Ben hoped that he had put up the snare the right way. He hadn't caught a rabbit, since he was a child.

The moon came up, and after a while, a single beam managed to get through the clouds. It shone on Lavinia and caught Ben's attention, when reflecting something around her neck.  
"What's that?" He asked and looked at something silvery shaped as a locket.  
Lavinia looked at him and then down at the locket. It looked like one of those lockets with a small portrait in them.  
"That's…Nothing." She said and hid it in her hand.  
"Can I see it?"  
"I'd rather not…"  
"How bad can it be?" Ben teased. "Unless… It's a portrait of the King?"  
"It's _not_ the King!" Lavinia replied and opened the chain to take it off. She handed it to Ben, who opened the locket carefully. It wasn't easy to see anything in the dark, but he was able to make out the portrait of a young man inside. A handsome one, too. Ben's heart skipped a beat, while his brain was trying to process, what he was looking at.  
"Lawrence!" He exclaimed and looked up at Lavinia, who looked just as surprised as he felt.  
"You were Lawrence Bainbridge's fiancé?" Ben said with a lump in his throat. So many thoughts and feelings were running through his head at the sight of his old friend from Yale. His very dear friend, who had died in battle over a year ago.  
"No…" Lavinia said and Ben looked up from the portrait again. "I'm his sister."  
And suddenly, everything made sense to Ben. The familiar eyes, the somewhat familiar story (although she had altered a few facts)… Even the story his mother had told him. Lawrence had told him that same story, but it had never occurred to either of them that they had met back then. The only thing that didn't fall into place, was Lavinia not telling the truth.  
"I'm…I'm so sorry for your loss." He said with a lump in his throat and gave her back the locket.  
"How did you…?" She didn't finish.  
"Lawrence didn't go to Harvard." Ben said. She looked away for a moment. As if ashamed. "He attended Yale. With me."  
" _That's_ why your name seemed so familiar!" She exclaimed in surprise and looked back at him. "It never occurred to me that you were _that_ Ben. Lawrence's friend."  
Ben could tell from the look on her face that she was close to crying. He put a hand on hers to comfort her. She let him.  
"Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked. This time he wouldn't question her. It would be entirely up to her.  
She nodded.

"Most of what I've already told you was true." She began. Ben knew as much.  
"Lawrence was a patriot, but you already know that, of course. Our father was a loyalist, but Lawrence tried to turn him. He succeeded, but not until his death. Lawrence was, as you're probably aware of, killed by the British."  
Ben nodded. He knew that.  
"Our father turned on the spot. He swore that he would avenge him, and he even tried to get enrolled to the army, but as he had already fought on the King's side, they wouldn't have him. Instead he was locked up."  
"I'm very sorry." Ben interrupted and meant it. "Do you know where he is now?"  
"In prison somewhere far from here, I think. We haven't heard anything for a long time."  
"You told me that you didn't care who wins the war…" Ben said out of genuine interest. "But Lawrence always talked about you. He said you would've joined him in the war, if you had only been allowed to."  
"Ben…" Lavinia sighed with a very sad expression on her face. Something inside Ben stirred and fought whether to hurt with her or to feel thrilled that she finally trusted him. "I was always a patriot. I only said those things to confuse you. I didn't want you to find out who I was."  
"But why not? If you had told me the truth, I could've checked your story, and you would've been sent home after a few days."  
"I didn't want to be sent home." She looked away and withdrew her hand from Ben's.  
He took a bite of the stale bread in his hand, while waiting for Lavinia to continue. He had completely forgotten about eating.  
"Can you handle the truth?" She asked with a huge sigh. "The whole truth. I won't keep anything from you, though you might get angry."  
"I can handle the truth." Ben replied and gave her his full attention again. "But I can't promise I won't be angry."

"Alright." Lavinia sighed and continued. "With both Lawrence and my father gone, my mother and I struggled to get by. Not much, but enough. We've always been used to a…certain standard of living…our whole lives. We couldn't keep it up without a man to bring home an income, and my mother suffered. I think I could've managed with a lot less, but she had been to court, and… Well… It was quite a decline in status. Then, one day, my cousin came along. I had never met him before, but my mother agreed to have me marry him, without my knowledge."  
Ben clenched his fists at this, but Lavinia took his hand to make him relax.  
"I didn't want to marry my cousin. I didn't know him, he was much older than me, and he was, to say the least, not exactly charming." She looked straight at Ben before she continued. "For a while, I tried to accept it for my mother's sake, but then, one day, when I was in the stables with a couple of apples for the horses, my cousin approached me in a very abrasive way."  
Ben felt the anger rise inside. The bastard was lucky that he hadn't been there.  
"I was saved by the stable boy. He walked in on my cousin trying to pull up my gown, which scared him or embarrassed him enough to make him scurry off."  
Ben sighed with relief. He was shivering, but he didn't know if it was from being wet and cold, or if it was because of Lavinia's story.  
"I told my mother about it, but she wouldn't believe me. I think she didn't want to believe me. She kept saying that my cousin was our only hope." She paused for a while, and Ben caressed her hand with his thumb. The moon shone on her again and revealed tears in her eyes.  
"A few weeks later he did it again. Only… This time, no one came to save me. I was in the kitchen when he assaulted me, and I didn't know what to do. Then… I reached out for something I could use to protect myself, and I caught a frying pan. And then I hit him. Hard. I knocked him out. I didn't stay to check if he was still alive, I just ran. I grabbed some food and took a bag from the stables, and when your men found me, I had been on the run for a few days, I think. I didn't keep track of the days, I was just trying to get as far away as possible."  
"And if you had told me your real name, I would've sent you right back into the arms of your cousin." Ben stated.  
"If he's not dead?" Lavinia said. "In that case, you would've sent a murderer back to be hanged."  
Tears were running down her cheeks, and Ben reached over to take her in his arms.  
"We'll figure something out." He whispered and caressed her hair. "I'll help you find a way. You're not going back until it's safe."  
"And I'm not going to Setauket, either? My aunt and uncle will send me back to my mum."  
"No, not to Setauket, either."

When Lavinia had finished her tale, and they had both finished eating, Ben spread out his coat underneath the ledge. There was no discussion of whether to share the blanket or not this time. Ben just lay down and made room for Lavinia under the blanket. She lay down with her back against him, and as he was shivering from the cold, he put his arms around her, trying to gain a little warmth from her.  
"Would this be okay?" He asked not sure whether she would find it too intimate. Under any other circumstance, it would have been far too intimate, but so would the two of them sleeping under the same blanket, in the first place.  
"You're freezing!" Lavinia exclaimed as she accidentally touch his hand with hers. She took it and tried to warm it in both of hers. "And yes. It's okay."  
"You're not…Afraid of me?" Ben asked, thinking about her cousin.  
"Afraid of you?" She asked in surprise. "Why would I be?"  
"It's just… Thinking of what your cousin did. Or tried to do. I mean… I'm not that kind of man. You know that, right?"  
She was silent for a while, and Ben was afraid he'd said something wrong. Then she turned around to face him.  
"I'm not afraid of you, Ben." She whispered. Her face was very close to his. He could just make out her eyes in the darkness. "I know you're not that kind of man. You're too much of a gentleman."  
He swallowed and felt the familiar warmth rise into his cheeks. He was happy that she couldn't see it in the dark.  
"Thank you." He whispered hoarsely and kept looking into her eyes. Was it his imagination, or did she breathe faster than a moment ago?  
"Ben?" She said, but she didn't continue.  
"Mm-hm?" For some reason, he was unable to say more than that.  
"Nothing." She sighed. Then she turned around again and let him put his arms around her. He wasn't sure what just happened, but he was definitely regaining his warmth.

It took a while for Ben to fall asleep. He wasn't sure if Lavinia had fallen asleep yet, but he couldn't stop thinking about her bare back so close to him. Well, she was wearing her coat, of course, but underneath it, her skin would be bare, now that her girdle cord might be catching a rabbit. He had seen how her sleeves had fallen a bit down her shoulders earlier, when there was no longer anything to keep the gown closed in the back. It had revealed perfect, feminine shoulders, and Ben imagined his hand brushing one of those shoulders, taking the sleeve further down the arm.  
He squeezed his eyes together, trying to block out the pictures in his mind. If he didn't, this would get very embarrassing in a moment. He could always turn his back against her, but then they would both get cold. And she would find it suspicious.  
He really ought to stop thinking about her that way. Otherwise, he wouldn't get any sleep at all.


	19. Oh, What a Mess

**# 19 - Oh, What a Mess**

 _Lavinia's POV_

It was very late, when Lavinia fell asleep that night. Ben was lying so close to her that she could feel his breath tickling her neck. She didn't mind. She almost felt comfortable this way. Well, as comfortable as one could be, sleeping on the ground in the middle of nowhere. And she felt safe. She felt safer than she had done for a very long time, despite the fact that the enemy had tried to kill them only yesterday. She felt safe, because she had finally told Ben the truth, and he had believed her. She didn't need to worry about being hung as a spy anymore, and though there was still the unsettled business with her cousin to be dealt with, she felt convinced that Ben wouldn't allow anything to happen to her.

She ought to consider herself lucky. She _did_ consider herself lucky. He had saved her life twice now, and she had no doubt that he would do it again, should it prove necessary. They _were_ friends, although he hadn't made I very clear before, and Lavinia had a feeling, they were becoming more than that. Of course, it could just be because of their present situation, and nothing more than that, but there was something in his eyes, whenever he would look at her, which made her legs go wobbly. He probably had no idea what he was doing to her, though.

She was almost sure that she had seen some sort of disappointment in his eyes, when he had recognized Lawrence in the portrait in her locket, or maybe it was just hurt? She wanted it to be disappointment, though it was very selfish of her. He, too, had loved Lawrence. She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to figure out, why his name had seemed so familiar all the time. Had she remembered before, she would've told him the truth much sooner. Then, maybe, they wouldn't be in this mess right now.

Somehow, though, she rather liked being in this mess with him. Not the danger, of course, nor all of the walking. Her feet were very sore. But apart from that, she liked being here with Ben.  
The reason why had dawned upon her almost at the same time as the mess began. When Turner - or was it Long? - had been shot in front of their eyes, and a bullet had almost taken down Ben, she had been so scared to lose him that she had almost passed out. She wasn't proud of it - she thought it a very girlish thing to do - but afterwards, it had occurred to her that she hadn't feared for her own safety. Only for Ben's.  
And when he had put enough faith in her to offer her a pistol, she had been happy. Well, the overall situation was, of course, nothing to be happy about, but that small gesture on his part had changed something between them. Maybe it had already been changing, but despite the unfortunate situation they found themselves in, it had brought butterflies to her stomach.  
She had had plenty of time to think about it while walking, and when they had finally made camp on their first night alone in the wild, she had known enough about her own feelings to be a little embarrassed, when suggesting that they should share the blanket. She had tried to cover it up, by insinuating how ridiculous it was that he didn't dare share it with her, when the mere thought of him so close to her at night, made her heart beat wildly.

Sometime during the night, she had woken up, when he had put his arms around her. He had still been asleep, so she hadn't complained about it. And, to be honest, she liked the feeling of his arms around her.  
They were around her now, too. This time, he had just put them around her, like it was the most natural thing to do. She hadn't objected, and it felt nice, but she was afraid that he would be able to feel her heart racing.  
She had turned around to face him a while ago, when they were still talking. She wasn't sure why she had done that, but his face had been very close to hers, and she had wanted to reach over and kiss him. However, he had seemed completely unaware of what was going on in her head, and so she had restrained herself.  
Maybe he didn't want the same as she did. Just because she could make him blush with almost no effort at all, it didn't mean that he had any feelings for her.  
Besides, she, too, had begun to blush whenever there was a reason to. It usually took a lot to make her blush, but not anymore. Not for Ben.  
She sighed, and it came out a little louder than she would've liked it to. Ben was lying so close to her, and it was difficult not to turn around and… And do what, exactly? She really ought to stop thinking about that. He was never going to be hers, anyway.  
Oh, what a mess! And she was neither thinking about the dangerous situation, nor the fact that they didn't have much food left.


	20. Tempted

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews. I love them, so keep them coming, please. ;)

* * *

 **# 20 - Tempted**

 _Ben's POV_

By the next morning, the rain had stopped, and Ben woke by a sunbeam blinding him, even though his eyes were closed. He used his hand to cover for it, before he opened them. Lavinia was still lying close to him, but she was awake and watching him.  
"Good morning, Major Tallmadge." She said and gave a smile that made butterflies rise in his stomach.  
"Good morning, Miss Bainbridge." He replied smiling back at her. "I trust you had a good night's sleep?"  
"Very." She replied and got up, reaching down her hand to help him up as well. He took it and got to his feet.  
"Have you checked the snare yet?" He needed to concentrate on something else than her beautiful, flirtatious smile.  
"No, I'll leave the barbarian rabbit slaughter to you." She teased with another smile and made it quite impossible for him not to concentrate on it.  
"I'd better go check, then." He said and left her, feeling strange inside. Something had definitely changed between them.

They were lucky. A rabbit had been caught in the snare, and Ben quickly put it out of its misery with a precise blow to the back of its head. He was glad that he still remembered how. With a bit of luck, he also remembered how to skin it with his blade, without making too much of a mess of it.  
When he returned with the rabbit, Lavinia had managed to light a small fire. Fortunately, they had gathered the firewood last night, before the rain had been able to spoil it.  
Ben skinned the rabbit (he did remember, once he gave it a try) and cleaned it inside, before he put it on a stick to roast it over the fire.

It took a while to cook the rabbit, and so they both sat on a downed tree for a while. Then Ben suddenly remembered something.  
"Oh, I've got your…" He said and took the cord from the pocket of his coat, handing it to Lavinia.  
"Thank you." She said and took it. For once, he thought her saw her blush. Did she turn shy like all of a sudden?  
He turned away from her to give her a little privacy, but she chose to get up and go behind some trees. She hung up her coat so that Ben wouldn't be able to watch. She didn't need to worry, though. He wouldn't do that. Although… A small part of him _was_ tempted to look. He would never actually do it, but the mere thought made him feel warm inside. He sighed to himself and looked away, in spite of the coat blocking the view. Caleb would've laughed at him.

"Ben?" Lavinia's voice made him look up again. She was popping her head out from behind the trees and the coat. "I need help."  
"You need help?" Ben asked in disbelief. What was he supposed to do? Surely, she wouldn't want him to…  
"I thought I could do it myself, but I can't." She continued. She didn't sound too happy about the situation. At least she wasn't flirting. He wouldn't have been able to face her, if she had been. He almost wasn't, anyway.  
"What can I do?" He asked almost in state of panic and got up.  
"It's just like tying a shoelace, really." She said and handed him the cord. She was still being serious. No teasing undertone.  
"You do realize this is going to be even worse for me than doing a body search, right?" He mumbled and took the cord from her hand.  
"I'm sorry." She said, and she really looked it.  
"No, I didn't mean it like that." Ben said, his face probably a very hot pink.  
Lavinia turned her back to him, and for a few moments he was unable to move. Her pale skin looked so soft and delicate, and he had to restrain himself from touching her back when putting the cord into the eyelets of the girdle.

It took a while to tie the cord, and it probably took longer than it usually would, because Ben was careful not to touch nor hurt Lavinia. They were both very silent, until Lavinia apologized again.  
"I really am sorry for what I'm putting you through." She said and turned her head a little. Ben was almost done with the last eyelets.  
"Don't be. We caught a rabbit, didn't we?" He replied and gave her a small smile.  
"I don't just mean…this." She said and continued. "If I had told you the truth right from the beginning, we wouldn't be here."  
Ben finished tying her girdle and made her turn around to face him.  
"No, we probably wouldn't." He said and paused for a moment. Then he gave her a reassuring smile. "But we wouldn't be on first names, either."  
"That's true." She said with a smile and a long glance at him. He turned away from her, pretending to be in a hurry to check on the rabbit, but he really just needed to take a deep breath and hide a happy smile from her.

#

Ben and Lavinia ate most of the rabbit and saved the rest for later, before they set out later that morning. The autumn sky was clear, and though they were tired and their feet hurt, they kept a good pace. If it hadn't been for their somewhat unsafe situation, Ben would've enjoyed an outing with her on a day like this.  
They talked a lot about Lawrence, now that they had established that they both knew him and loved him, and Lavinia asked about Ben's life in Setauket and in the army. He willingly told her everything, not doubting for a second that he could trust her.

"Do you think they're out looking for us?" She asked when they had walked in silence for a while.  
"Probably not." Ben replied, though he wished he could tell her otherwise. "Washington's not expecting me back for another two days. I'm afraid you're stuck with me for now." He said the last part with a teasing smile at her.  
"Well, you're not the worst one to be stuck with, Major Tallmadge." She teased back. He gave a little laugh at this. A few days ago, he would've blushed at that, but something had changed. He felt more…comfortable around her.  
"When we get back to camp…" He changed the subject. "Where will you go? Is there anyone you can go to, who won't send you right back home?"  
"I can't stay in camp?" Ben didn't know if she was being serious, or if she was teasing him again.  
"As lovely as that may sound…" He replied. "…I can't allow that. It's not safe. Some of the men may be no better than your cousin, and they're starved of…"  
"I have an aunt in Philadelphia." Lavinia interrupted. "She would let me stay. She would send word to my mum, but she wouldn't send me home."  
"Alright." Ben said and was silent for a few moment, while considering the options. "So, when we reach camp, I'll send a message to find out what happened to your cousin. If he's still alive, I'll make sure you'll get safely to Philadelphia."  
"And if he's not?"  
"Then I would have to talk to Washington…"  
"Do you have to tell him? Can't you just leave out that one detail?"  
"Lavinia…" Ben sighed. "I can't lie to Washington. He trusts me, and if I start lying to him…"  
"Yes, of course. I'm Sorry. I'm asking too much of you, and you've already done so much for me."  
Ben wanted to tell her that he'd do anything for her, but was it true? Would he disobey Washington for her? Just thinking it felt like a betrayal.  
"Let's just hope it won't be necessary to discuss it with Washington."

Sometime in the afternoon, he guessed, as the sun was lower than it had been a while ago, Ben heard a sound and stopped to listen. He definitely heard the sound of horses galloping, probably on the same path as they were walking along. Lavinia was a little ahead of him and didn't seem to have noticed. He couldn't call out for her, so he caught up with her in an instant, grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him behind a tree. She looked questioningly at him, but then she heard the riders, and her expression changed from confused to frightened. Ben put a steadying hand on her hip to calm her down without thinking about it, while looking up to see whether the riders were friendly or not. They slowed their horses to a trot, and when they came closer, Ben recognized the bearded face in front.  
"Brewster!" He shouted happily and came out from behind the tree. Lavinia grabbed his hand and followed.  
"Tall Boy!" Caleb exclaimed and jumped off his horse. The other soldiers stopped their horses as well. They were Ben's men.  
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see your hairy face again!" Ben said and hugged his friend tightly.  
"Nah, me neither." Caleb replied. Then he looked at Lavinia. "You okay, miss?"  
"I'm fine." She said with a small smile.  
"Benny's been a gentleman?" Caleb continued.  
"He has been nothing but a gentleman, I assure you, Lieutenant."  
"Good boy!" Caleb grinned and patted Ben's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Now, let's find you a horse so we can get back."  
They were five riders and five horses, so Caleb told two of the soldiers to share a horse and gave the other one to Ben and Lavinia.  
Ben helped Lavinia get up, before he jumped up behind her. With one arm around her, he held the reins in the other hand, turning the horse towards home.  
"You okay with this?" He asked quietly, close to her ear.  
"Mm-hm." She replied and turned her head to give him a quick smile.  
"Good." He smiled back at her, before he pressed his heels to the horse's flanks.

Caleb let his horse keep up with Ben's on the way back to camp. They let them walk, as two of them were carrying two people each.  
"What happened out there?" Caleb asked as soon as they were on their way. "Your horses came back yesterday. Well, three of them, anyway. And we found Long and Turner…"  
"Queen's Rangers. But you probably found them, too."  
"No, they had been removed. But I figured as much."  
"Removed? But that means…"  
"Yeah. You're lucky they didn't catch you."  
Ben thought he felt Lavinia stiffen for a moment. He held onto her just a little tighter, and she relaxed again.  
"They were waiting for us. As soon as we jumped off the horses to make camp, they attacked. They must've known we were coming and that we would pick that spot."  
"How would they know?"  
"I don't know…"  
"And what were they after?" Caleb looked at Ben, before he gave a glance at Lavinia. Then he looked back at Ben with a raised eyebrow.  
"No. No that's…" Ben sighed. "That's not what they were after."  
"You sure about that?" Caleb asked suspiciously.  
"Yes. Oh, by the way, Caleb, I should introduce…" Ben said and smiled at Lavinia, who turned around as much as she could to follow the conversation. "…Miss Lavinia Bainbridge. Sister to Lawrence Bainbridge."  
"You're kidding me!" Caleb exclaimed in surprise and looked at Lavinia for a very long time. "And you're sure this is the truth?"  
"Yes." Ben said with a reassuring smile at Caleb. "No doubts whatsoever, and she's not a spy."  
"Well, in that case… I'm very sorry for your loss, miss."  
"Thank you." She replied quietly and ignored Caleb's insinuations.


	21. Promises

**# 21 - Promises**

 _Ben's POV_

When they finally reached the camp, Ben felt exhausted, and all he wanted to do was get something to eat and then get a good night's sleep. He jumped off his horse and helped Lavinia down as well, when a messenger approached him.  
"General Washington wishes to see you, sir." The soldier said and waited impatiently for Ben to be done helping Lavinia.  
"Right now?" Ben asked a little annoyed.  
"Immediately, sir."  
"Sorry." Ben sighed to Lavinia, but she just gave him a small smile.  
"Don't worry about it. Duty calls."  
"You!" Ben addressed the soldier. "Make sure Miss Lavinia gets something to eat. And take care of the horse."  
"Yes, sir."  
"I'll take the horse." Caleb interrupted, and took the reins. "Just go."

Washington seemed to be in a foul mood when Ben entered his quarters.  
"You wanted to see me, sir?" He said a little impatiently, when Washington didn't seem to acknowledge his presence.  
"Yes, Major Tallmadge." The latter said and got up. "What happened? I hear you lost two men."  
"Queen's Rangers happened, sir. And they lost four men."  
"And you just happened to stumble upon them?"  
"No, sir. I believe they were waiting for us."  
"Waiting for you? What about Miss…?"  
"Miss Lavinia. She's unharmed, sir."  
"Do you think that is a coincidence?"  
"No, sir. I did my best to protect her."  
Washington gave one of his secretive smiles. Ben never knew what they meant.  
"I mean… Do you think that the Queen's Rangers were trying to protect her, too?"  
"No, sir. I have no reason to believe so."  
"It just seems odd to me… Your camp was attacked, and they aimed for her tent, but she was unharmed. Then you were attacked again, and she's still unharmed. Can you honestly say that you don't believe that _she_ is what they're after?"  
"Yes, sir. I can."  
"Explain it to me, because, apparently, I see a connection which you don't believe to be there, Major."  
"Well…" Ben began. "I finally found out the truth about her. She's Lavinia Bainbridge, her brother was Lawrence Bainbridge. I knew him at Yale. He died defending this country. I knew him very well, as he was one of my closest friends. I have no doubts that Lav…" Ben hesitated. "…That his sister would be the patriot, which she claims to be. He told me about her very often."  
"And if that's the truth, then why didn't she just say so from the beginning?"  
"I'm afraid that's a personal matter that I have no right to discuss with anyone else."  
Washington sort of smiled again. Ben wasn't sure, if that was a good sign.  
"I _am_ your commander-in-chief, Major. If I tell you to tell me, you will do just that!" Washington reprimanded him.  
"Yes, sir." Ben said, and he probably should've stopped at that. "But if you don't tell me to tell you, I won't have to. Would that be fair to assume?" He held his breath, until Washington gave a small chuckle.  
"Alright, Benjamin. If you give me your word, that will be good enough for me. But what will you do with her? She can't stay, as you pointed out to me earlier."  
"She has family in Philadelphia. I will arrange for her to be brought there, but I want to make sure first, that she will be safe there."  
"Safe? With her relatives? Why wouldn't she be?"  
"Uh…" Ben avoided Washington's eye for a moment. "She would. I just want to make sure that the journey will be safer than the last one."  
"Very well, Major. You do the paperwork, then. Now, get back to your tent and get some sleep. You look like you need it."  
"Thank you, sir." Ben said and was dismissed.

He _was_ exhausted, but before going to bed, he sat down and wrote two letters. He needed to find out what had happened to Lavinia's cousin, before he could arrange for her to travel to her aunt in Philadelphia, and he also wanted to find her father. If he was still alive, there was a good chance that he could persuade Washington to sign a release note for him.

#

A few days passed, and things went back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be, having a woman stay with the army.  
Ben often sought Lavinia's company, as she seemed to seek his. He knew that the men were talking behind his back, but he also knew that they most often didn't mean any harm. He was more concerned about what they were saying about her. He didn't want rumors to spoil her reputation. She needed to leave soon.  
One morning, a rider came carrying letters. Most letters were for Washington, but there was one for Ben as well. He didn't recognize the handwriting, so he tore it open and read its contents. It was about Lavinia's cousin. He sighed and hurried to her tent.

"Lavinia?" He asked and entered without waiting for her permission. She was lying on her bed, reading a book.  
"Oh, sorry." Ben said and turned around. He wasn't sure why. She was decent.  
"About what?" She asked and got up. "You seem upset. Is everything alright?"  
Ben turned around to face her again.  
"I've got news. Both good and bad."  
"Tell me the bad news first." Lavinia said and closed her eyes with a sigh for moment.  
"The bad news is that your cousin is still alive."  
Her face lit up in a smile, and Ben returned it.  
"And the good news?"  
"You're not a murderer!"  
"Thank you!" She whispered with relief and threw her arms around Ben's neck.  
"You're welcome." He replied and put his arms around her, too. "I'm afraid there's no news about your father, yet, but I _am_ trying."  
She let go of him again.  
"My father? You're trying to get him released?"  
"If I can find him…"  
"Why are you doing this, Ben? I mean, I'm very grateful, of course, but you didn't have to do it. Why?"  
"Well…" Ben hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I hope I'm not being too bold, but I've come to consider you a friend. I mean, you're Lawrence's sister, and we've come to know each other rather well, I think…"  
"We have."  
"…And I'd do anything to help my friends."  
"Anything?" She raised a brow at him.  
"Well, as long as it's not illegal. Or at least…only a little bit illegal." Ben teased.  
"Very funny." Lavinia said sarcastically and went outside. "Walk with me for a while, please?"  
"As you wish." Ben said and gave a courteous bow before offering her his arm. He felt happier than he had for a very long time.

#

Ben's happiness didn't last very long. Once he was sure that Lavinia's cousin was still alive, he had to make arrangements for her to go to Philadelphia. She had given him the name of her aunt and uncle, the Bakers, in Philadelphia, which made it easy for him to find them and correspond with them. They were relieved to find out that she was doing fine, as they had heard news of her disappearance. They were also very willing to let her stay with them as long as necessary, and the aunt more than hinted that she was looking forward to introducing Lavinia to all the eligible gentlemen in Philadelphia. That specific part of the letter had probably been meant for Lavinia, but as everything went through Ben, he had not had a chance to avoid it.  
This knowledge didn't make her departure any easier for him. In fact, he lay awake most of the night before she was supposed to leave. This time he hadn't had an excuse to accompany her, as Washington needed him by his side. Instead, he would have to trust Caleb with the assignment, along with eight other soldiers. At least he knew that he could trust Caleb with this. He may have been throwing sarcastic remarks around most of the time, but he knew when to be professional, and he was a darn good soldier.

"Are you ready to go?" Ben asked as he entered her quarters for the last time. Caleb and the other soldiers were ready with the horses.  
"Yes." She replied quietly. "As ready as I ever will be." She didn't sound very happy.  
She took Ben's arm, and he walked her to the horse that was waiting for her. He waited to give her a hand getting up on the horse, but she turned around to look at him.  
"I'll miss you, Major." She said with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around his neck.  
"I'll miss you, too." He whispered into her hair. He didn't care if everybody was watching them  
"When the war is over…" She trailed off.  
"I'll come visit." Ben replied. "I promise."  
"Don't you dare get yourself killed before you fulfill that promise." She said with tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"I won't." Ben said and tried to smile at her. He felt a lump in his throat, and his stomach ached in the bad way. "If you'll promise me the same?"  
She smiled through her tears.  
"I promise." She said and let go of him.  
He helped her mount the horse, and a moment later Caleb looked at Ben for permission to leave. The latter gave him a nod and watched as the small party grew smaller and smaller before his eyes.  
After some time, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Washington. He didn't say anything, but Ben got the feeling that he understood. Somehow it comforted him.


	22. Improper Thoughts

**# 22 - Improper Thoughts**

 _Lavinia's POV_

It was a very sad Lavinia, who left the army camp to travel to Philadelphia. She usually enjoyed horseback riding, but this time she didn't really care about the gray mare, which had carried her a couple of times before. Fortunately, it behaved, so she didn't have to do much more than just sit there, being carried towards her aunt and uncle's home.  
She was happy, of course, that she wasn't going home. And she knew that Ben was right, when he said that she wasn't safe among the soldiers in the camp anymore. He could keep his own men on a leash, but not the whole army. She knew that she would be very welcome in her aunt and uncle's home, and that they wouldn't send her back home to her mother and to her cousin. She should be happy, really.  
And with a bit of luck, she would see her father again, soon. Although she hadn't had any news about him yet. That _would_ make her happy, even if there would still be a part of her missing something.

Ben had done so much for her in such a short time, and she had no idea how to thank him properly. Especially now, when she might never see him again. She couldn't bear the thought, and tears came to her eyes again, as they had done when saying goodbye to him.  
It may have been wrong to give him a hug in front of so many people, but she had just acted on impulse. She had wanted to hold him close just once more, and when she did, she almost couldn't let go again.  
At least he had hugged her back. It would've been very awkward, if he hadn't. And he had told her that he'd miss her, but she wasn't sure if he had only said it out of courtesy, because she had said it first. But he _had_ given her his word that he would come visit her, once the war was over. And she knew him well enough to know that he would do almost anything to keep his word. If only the war would be over soon…  
She felt foolish for wishing so. No, not for wishing for the war to be over soon, but for her very selfish reasons to do so. Well, she did wish for everybody's sake that it would be over soon, including her own. That was fair enough, wasn't it?

Lavinia's thoughts returned to their time alone in the wild. She had been relieved to see Lieutenant Brewster and the other soldiers after a couple of days far from civilization, and the ride back to camp had given cause for butterflies to rise in her stomach on more than one occasion. However, when they had been back in camp and she had had something to eat and good night's sleep, she almost wished they were back in the wild again.  
She kept seeing a very flustered Ben before her, when she had asked for his help with the girdle. She had honestly believed that she could manage it on her own, and when she couldn't… She could've buried herself in embarrassment! She hadn't wanted to ask for his help, but there was really nothing else she could do. Except lose the gown completely to put in the cord, which would've been even worse.  
When he had finally agreed to help and he had put the cord through the eyelets of the girdle, his fingers had accidentally touched her skin a couple of times. She had been ashamed of her own thoughts, but she had wanted him to keep touching her. To put his hands on her back and, maybe, kiss her shoulders. And then, anything could've happened.

Well, there would be nothing of that now, and maybe it was for the better. It was probably a good thing that nothing had happened between them in the wild. It would've made everything more difficult now, and it was bad enough as it was.  
Somehow, though, she couldn't help feeling that something _had_ happened…


	23. A Negligent Soldier

**# 23 - A Negligent Soldier**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben didn't sleep much the next few nights. He didn't feel like eating, either. He felt nauseous very often, and he was afraid he was coming down with something. He also felt worried, though he couldn't exactly say why. Probably because he wouldn't be able to lead his men to battle, if he was ill. The thought made him feel feverish. He really wasn't at his best these days.  
Then, Caleb returned along with the other soldiers, and Ben jumped from his bed to rush outside to talk to his best friend.  
"How did it go?" He asked before Caleb had touched the ground.  
"I'm so happy to see you too, Benny!" Caleb said sarcastically and made Ben roll his eyes.  
"Yeah, so how did it go?"  
"According to plan, of course, as I was the one to carry it out."  
"So everything went fine?"  
"Tallmadge, if you wanna ask about her, you should just go ahead and do it." Caleb teased.  
Ben sighed.  
"Did she arrive safely? And what did her aunt and uncle say?"  
"They said _thank you_. And then they fed us before we had to leave again."  
"Did… Did Lavinia say anything?"  
"Ah, so _that's_ what this is about? Did she tell me to tell you she loved you? No, I'm sorry, but she didn't."  
"Oh, come on!" Ben said with an annoyed roll of his eyes. "That's not what I'm asking!"  
"Than what _are_ you asking?"  
Ben hesitated. He didn't know how to reply to this. What _was_ he asking? What was it that he wanted to hear?  
"She _did_ write you a letter before we left." Caleb helped him out with a sigh and thrust a letter at him, casually.  
Ben took it and opened it immediately, walking back to his tent. The nausea had suddenly turned into butterflies in his stomach.  
"Thank you, Caleb, my best friend!" Caleb shouted at him sarcastically, but he ignored it. He concentrated on reading.

The letter didn't say much. She merely just thanked him for all his help and then told him that she had arrived safely. She would be looking forward to seeing him again, and she hoped that he would let her know if there was any news about her father.  
Though the letter wasn't very personal, it lifted Ben's spirits tremendously to know that she was safe, and that she was looking forward to seeing him again. Suddenly, he didn't feel ill anymore, and he was beginning to suspect a reason why.

#

A couple of days later, Ben went on a mission with some of his troops. One of their spies had been captured, but there was a good chance that the British didn't know yet that they had, in fact, caught a spy, and so he wouldn't have been executed yet. They were to rescue him and bring him back with them, and so they set out on horseback in the morning, expecting to return with the man before nightfall.

While riding, Ben had plenty of time to think, and so his thoughts kept returning to the last time he saw Lavinia. Since he received her letter, and the joy of it had worn off, his mood hadn't exactly improved. He knew he was being grumpy, and Caleb didn't miss a chance to tell him so.  
Ben kept his horse at a steady pace, and when Caleb called out for him and brought him back to the present, he found himself some distance ahead of his men. He hadn't noticed them stopping.  
He turned his horse around and trotted back to them.  
"What's the matter?" He asked Caleb annoyed. "I didn't give the order to stop."  
"No, but you should have!" Caleb said in a low voice so that the other soldiers wouldn't hear him speak against his superior.  
"What makes you…" Ben objected, but Caleb cut him off.  
"You were heading directly into enemy territory without even giving it a second thought. I'm not gonna let my men ride to their deaths."  
" _Your_ men?" Ben exclaimed angrily. "The last time I checked they were _my_ men!"  
"Yeah, well, yours or mine... They wouldn't be anyone's, if I let you lead them straight into enemy camp!"  
"Don't you dare talk to me like that in front of them!" Ben told Caleb off, too angry with himself to admit that Caleb was right. He hadn't been paying attention, and it could've hurt them all.  
"Or what?" Caleb asked rudely, loud enough for everyone to hear.  
Ben ignored it and commanded the soldiers to follow him, this time at a slower pace and going around the enemy camp instead of straight into it.

After taking down the sentries very easily, and with almost no noise at all, Ben ordered his men to leave the horses behind and sneak into camp, knocking out the soldiers with as little commotion as possible. He and Caleb would go directly after the spy.  
Unfortunately, Ben had a hard time concentrating and therefore missed an enemy soldier right in front of him. The soldier cried out to notify the rest of the camp, right before Ben shot him with his pistol.  
"You idiot!" Caleb yelled at him. "Now they'll all know we're here!"  
There wasn't time to argue, as redcoats were swarming around them, and they had to fight two-to-one. There were much more soldiers in the camp than Ben had expected, but at least his own men had already taken down some of them, before they even knew they were being attacked.  
"What're you waiting for?" Caleb yelled at him again, right in time for Ben to notice the soldier coming towards him with his bayonet. He only just missed, when Ben threw himself to the side while plunging his blade into the soldier, who fell to the ground – dead.  
He took down another couple of soldiers on his way to free the prisoner, and in an instant he and Caleb had sprung the spy together. The man looked terrible. They had probably tortured him while questioning him, but at least he was alive and able to run.

Ben didn't know what to do next. He had a stomachache, and he couldn't think clearly. What was going on with him?  
"Take him back to the horses!" Caleb yelled and sent Ben a strange look. "I'll get the men out of here."  
Ben made the spy follow him back to the horses with a feeling that he was doing something wrong. He wasn't supposed to leave, while his men were still in there.  
"I'm going back in." He said and ran towards the camp again, but he met Caleb and the rest of the men before he got that far.  
"What're you doing?" Caleb shouted and made him turn around. "Everyone's out. We're ready to go."  
Ben just stood there, while the men passed him on the path. He felt dizzy and nauseous again, and suddenly he realized how close he had been to getting his men massacred. He leaned against a tree and threw up, just as the last man passed.  
"Major, the redcoats are coming." The soldier said and supported him. "We gotta get back."  
After taking a few steps, he was able to support himself again, and he came back to the horses as the last one. He threw himself onto his brown mare, and they all kicked their horses' flanks to get away as quickly as possible. Ben was very grateful that they had seen no horses in the camp. The redcoats wouldn't be able to follow them without them.

Caleb was silent all the way back to camp. Angry silent. The soldiers didn't say much, either. At least they hadn't lost anyone. Ben wasn't sure if he would've been able to forgive himself, if they had lost anyone on his account.  
When they finally reached the camp, he took the spy to see Washington. After delivering him there, he went back to his own tent and kicked off his boots. He was mad at himself for not being able to think straight, and it didn't help, when Caleb came to confront him.  
"What the hell was going on out there?" He asked angrily, entering Ben's tent.  
"I don't know." Ben muttered.  
"You nearly got us all killed! What were you thinking?"  
"I was…" Ben hesitated. There was a lump in his throat. "I wasn't thinking. I don't know, I just wasn't…there."  
"I could see that. Is it that girl? She completely turned your head!"  
"What? No, of course not!"  
"Oh come on, Ben! You're sweet on her, and it's making your vision cloudy. If you can't even lead your troops on a simple assignment like this, then you shouldn't lead at all."  
"I'm not… That's not it!"  
"It isn't?" Caleb asked skeptically. "Are you seriously telling me that you're the only one here who can't see it? That you're in love with her, that is."  
"No." Ben replied annoyed. "I'm very well aware of that, thank you, but that's not the reason why…"  
"You may be able to fool yourself…" Caleb rolled his eyes. "But you're not fooling anyone else. If I were you, I'd ask Washington for leave until it's over. Is that a limp I see? You were shot in the leg, weren't you?"  
"No, I wasn't…"  
"Yes, you were. I saw it. And you're limping."  
"Caleb, I can't lie to Washington about my condition just because my head is in Philadelphia, when it should be here." Ben hissed.  
"Then tell him the truth. That you're not able to lead your troops. I sure ain't gonna follow you to battle when you can't think straight. I'm not planning to die just yet."  
"Is it that bad?" Ben sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't just ask for leave because he was thinking about Lavinia constantly. He just couldn't. He was a soldier, and he had a duty to fulfill.  
"It's that bad." Caleb stated seriously.


	24. An Important Decision

**# 24 - An Important decision**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben went to see Washington that same evening. The general had been expecting him, and Ben had a feeling why.  
"I hear your mission went somewhat askew, Major Tallmadge." Washington began.  
"We got the prisoner back with us, and we didn't lose any men, sir." Ben replied.  
"Hm…" Washington said and was silent for a while. "But you were lucky, isn't that right?"  
"Sir?"  
"Major, when a mission goes askew like that, I expect a report from the officer in charge. Not from a common soldier. Especially, when that officer is the reason why it didn't go according to plan."  
"Yes, sir." Ben said, not looking Washington in the eye.  
"What in the world happened? I can usually count on you, Major, but the soldiers said you got sick."  
"I did, sir. But that's not it."  
"Then what is it?"  
"I... I think, maybe, I shouldn't be in charge for a while, sir?"  
"You _think_? _I_ think that is entirely up to me to decide!"  
"Yes, sir. But when a soldier can't eat or sleep, and when he can't think straight, then he can't lead his troops without endangering their lives, either."  
Washington looked at him for a while, apparently thinking about how to reply, and Ben was afraid he had overstepped his bounds.  
"Is this about that young lady? Miss Bainbridge?"  
"No, sir. It isn't." Ben said and avoided Washington's eye for a moment.  
"Major Tallmadge, I believe you have never lied to me before? I would advise you not to start now."  
"Yes, sir. It is about Miss Bainbridge." Ben could've kicked himself. It was so pathetic.  
Washington smiled to himself.  
"Benjamin, though it may seem hard to believe, I have been young and in love myself a long time ago. I understand how you're feeling. I can't have you endangering lives because of it, but I also can't give you leave because of a woman."  
"I know, sir. I'm not asking you to."  
"I know. I'll need some time to consider the options. Until I've decided what to do with you, I won't send you or your troops on any dangerous missions. You're still head of intelligence. For now." He hesitated for a moment. "You're not handing in your resignation, are you?"  
"No, sir, I'm not!" Ben exclaimed in surprise. No, he definitely wasn't. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.  
"Very well. You may leave."  
"Sir." Ben said with a nod and left with a very peculiar feeling inside. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Washington hadn't seemed too displeased with him, though he had every reason to be.

Not being able to think straight because of a woman! Oh God, it was so embarrassing! And if Caleb was right, everyone knew by now. At least all of his own troops did. They all knew that their major was unable to lead them into battle, because he was thinking of Lavinia.  
The nausea returned at the thought of her. He wondered what she was doing right now. Was she attending balls with all the eligible men in Philadelphia? Maybe dining with them? Going for a walk with one of them, holding onto his arm? The thought haunted him and gave him a stomachache, which didn't go away until he fell asleep very late that night.

#

Ben's mood improve a little the next day, when he received a letter. It was a letter saying that Mr. Bainbridge – Lavinia's father – had been found alive in a prison close to Philadelphia. Under the circumstances, his health was not too bad.  
Ben immediately wrote a release note, hoping that Washington would sign it. He hoped that it would make Lavinia happy to get her father back, but he wasn't sure if he was doing it for her sake or for his own. With her father back, there would be no pressure on her to marry someone just yet, which was a good thing for Lavinia as well as for himself. But who was he kidding? There was no chance that a woman like her would ever marry someone like him, anyway. Or that her parents would let her. He was nothing but a reverend's son. A major in the Continental Army, yes, but for how long?

He went to Washington's quarters with the note, in his head repeatedly going over the reasons why to release Mr. Bainbridge, but he had had no reason to worry. Washington was busy looking at maps, and so he signed the note almost without looking at it.  
"Thank you, sir." Ben said and withdrew. Washington glanced up at him with a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, before he looked back at the map in front of him.  
Ben always wondered how much Washington knew. He assumed it was a great deal more than what he let his men believe.  
He sent the letter straightaway, and walked restlessly around camp for a while. He didn't know how to make time pass now that he wasn't supposed to actually do anything.  
He went back to his tent and shined his boots. When he was done, he found a needle and some thread, and repaired his uniform. A couple of buttons had fallen off his shirt, and his coat had taken a cut to the arm a while ago.  
Whenever a messenger would ride into camp, Ben would jump to his feet and rush outside to see, if there was any news for him. Most often there wasn't. It was a very quiet time in the army, and so Ben's days seemed to last for weeks.

#

After some days, however, Washington sent for Ben. He was more than ready to do something with his time, so he hurried to the general's quarters with boots shining as if new, and a uniform that didn't look as if it had ever seen battle.  
"You sent for me, sir?" Ben said impatiently when he entered the tent.  
"Yes, Major, I did." Washington replied. He was in no hurry to say anything further, though Ben almost couldn't stand waiting any longer. He did, of course, as it would've been disrespectful to hurry his superior.  
"I have come to a decision." Washington finally continued. "I am going to send you away for some time."  
"But sir!" Ben exclaimed in horror. That was so not, what he wanted.  
"Hear me out, Major." Washington said calmly, though he had every right to reprimand Ben for his objection. "I need a man in Philadelphia. I need someone who can uphold law and order, and someone who can gather intelligence there."  
"But…" Ben didn't really know what to say. His biggest wish was to go to Philadelphia, but he didn't want to give up what he had already achieved here by Washington's side.  
"I'm not done yet." Washington reprimanded him. "You will still be head of intelligence, and you will pick someone that you trust to stay here and do your job, until I call you back from Philadelphia. What about Lieutenant Brewster? He seems to know everything already. I could promote him."  
"Brewster is too valuable in the field, sir." Ben said and tried to wrap his head around all of this. "Though he wouldn't mind the promotion." He thought hard about it, while Washington waited patiently for him to continue. "But I think I've got the right man, sir. Captain Price has always shown good judgement and loyalty."  
"Price… That would be Edward Price?"  
"Yes, sir. I'd trust him with my life."  
"Send him to me."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Oh, and Major? Ready your troops to leave for Philadelphia the day after tomorrow. I'll send word to Benedict Arnold that you're on your way."  
"Thank you, sir." Ben replied and withdrew, his spirits lifted significantly.


	25. Philadelphia

**AN:** Thank you for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites. They're very much appreciated. :)

* * *

 **# 25 - Philadelphia**

 _Ben's POV_

The next few days passed very slowly, although Ben had more than enough to do. He had to inform his men about the transferal to Philadelphia, and he needed to let his network of spies know as well. Captain Price had to be acquainted with the system, and they had to work out new procedures, now that Ben's own "headquarters" would have to move.  
Caleb complained a lot about it. Ben took it as a compliment, though Caleb didn't say directly that he was going to miss him. He knew that it was the case, whenever Caleb complained about how unfair it was that he didn't get the chance to go drink beer with the rest of them at the Philadelphia taverns.  
"But you'll get the chance." Ben said and put a hand on Caleb's shoulder right before their departure, when the latter kept complaining. "You'll be in the field. And working in the field for me, means that you'll be reporting back to me. In Philadelphia. At the taverns, if you must."  
"Will there be beer?" Caleb asked childishly and made Ben roll his eyes.  
"What do _you_ think, Brewster?" He replied and went on saddling his horse. They would be leaving in a few minutes.  
"Besides, I need you to help Price. Will you do that for me? Look out for him, he'll need a hand."  
"Yeah, yeah." Caleb muttered and put the saddlebags on the horse. "Just don't go get yourself killed, alright?"  
"I should be telling you that same thing." Ben said and gave Caleb a hug. The latter hugged him back tightly. If Ben didn't know him better, he would've thought that he saw tears in his eyes.

A moment later, he swung himself into the saddle and waited for his men to do the same. When everyone was ready, he looked around and found Washington walking towards him.  
He took a hold of the reins of Ben's mare, when he reached it, and spoke to Ben.  
"Don't disappoint me, Major Tallmadge." He said quietly and smiled at him. It seemed a genuine smile. "I'll expect news from you soon."  
"Yes, sir." Ben said and smiled back at him. They probably weren't thinking about the same kind of news, as Ben's thoughts were, at the moment, very far from gathering intelligence for the army.  
"Good." Washington said and let go of the reins. "Safe journey!"  
He gave Ben a nod, and the latter replied with a nod as well.  
"Thank you, sir." He said and ordered his men to get going. It would take them a couple of days to reach their destination – a couple of long days filled with hope and expectations on Ben's part.

#

The journey was uneventful, almost boring. They found a small inn, at which to spend the night, and the men looked forward to sleeping in real beds again, not to mention drinking a lot of the beer that Caleb had been talking about. Ben let them. He knew them well enough to know that they would be ready to ride in the morning.  
He, too, went to have a drink with them, though he planned to turn in early. His men planned it otherwise, though, and so they tried to get him interested in some of the lightly dressed women, who turned up once they heard about the soldiers staying at the inn. As always, he turned down the offer, but he couldn't help laughing at his men for trying. They meant well.  
After quite a few rejections from the major, the girls found some other entertainment. Ben emptied his mug and went to bed. He did have a woman on his mind, when he fell asleep, but she wasn't lightly dressed. She was, however, sharing a blanket with him somewhere in the wild, making his heart pound fiercely, even in his sleep.

They continued towards Philadelphia the next morning, and reached their destination around suppertime. Washington had sent word, so lodgings were ready for them. Ben spent his first night in town in the same hostel as his men, but he would move into something a little larger as soon as possible. For now, a room was fine. He was tired and hungry, and so were the men.  
When they had had their meal – the second good supper in a row – Ben went to his room, and the men went to a nearby tavern. From tomorrow, he could no longer allow all of them to get drunk on the same nights, as they were supposed to uphold law and order. He had made schedules for them, but tonight was their last night together for a while, and after so many months in the field they deserved one more night off duty. He was to report to a Colonel Simmons tomorrow, but for now, he emptied his head to get a good night's sleep.

#

Colonel Simmons was happy to see a new officer bringing new men to Philadelphia. The ones already there, were getting bored and therefore irritated, and it often came to fights between them, as they had nothing better to do.  
Ben thought it sounded as if their officers were lazy, or unable to gain the respect of their men, but he kept quiet about it, of course. He was just glad that he would actually have something to do, apart from guarding the town. He would still have to send his men on missions to gather intelligence. Hopefully, they wouldn't get as bored as the ones already stationed here.

"Have you found a place to stay yet?" Colonel Simmons asked after they had been through all the official stuff.  
"No, I'm currently staying with my men at a hostel a few streets from here." Ben replied.  
"Major Davenport is leaving tomorrow. I'll send word to have his cottage readied for you, if you have no objections? It was Arnold's wish that you should have it."  
"Thank you, sir." Ben said and wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. He had rather looked forward to finding a small house for himself, but on the other hand, he did need some place to set up his study soon.  
"Where do I find Benedict Arnold?" Ben asked thinking of the superior that he had come to know some time ago. He rather liked him and hoped that things were going well for him. He hadn't seemed too pleased with the situation the last time they met.  
"You won't find him anywhere these days. He's otherwise engaged, I believe."  
"Otherwise engaged?"  
Simmons ignored Ben's question and changed the subject.  
"So, tell me, Major Tallmadge…" He asked casually, putting a hand on Ben's shoulder. The latter felt a little awkward after the rejection and thought about leaving soon, but the colonel seemed starved of conversation. "When was the last time you went to a ball?"  
"A ball?" Ben asked surprised. He had no idea. Sometime at Yale, maybe?  
"Yes. I'm not talking about getting drunk in a dirty, old tavern. I'm talking about a real ball. With music, and dancing, and beautiful ladies!"  
"Uh… I don't know, sir." Ben said perplexed. "Some time before the war."  
"What a pity." Simmons said. "The war doesn't make socializing easy, does it?"  
"No, sir, I supposed it doesn't."  
"I'll make sure you'll get some invitations." Simmons then said. "I'll introduce you to the important families as well. Always better to be on good terms with the citizens, don't you think?"  
"Yes, sir." Ben replied politely. He wasn't sure what to think of Colonel Simmons, but the thought of a ball lifted his spirits some. Maybe, if he were extremely lucky, Lavinia would be there. But then again… How likely was that?  
"Colonel…" He began. "These important families, you're talking about…"  
"Yes?"  
"Would the Bakers happen to be among them?"  
"Thomas Baker? And his wife Augusta?"  
"Yes, that would be the Bakers I'm talking about."  
"They're somewhat important to this town, I guess. Do you know them?"  
"Well, I, eh…" Ben hesitated. "I've been in some correspondence with them. We stumbled upon a…relative…of theirs in the field. She was sent to stay with them."  
"Ah, yeah, I recall. Major Davenport said something about it. Wasn't her father released from prison a few days ago?"  
"He should be, but I haven't had any news about it yet."  
"I think he was." Simmons looked at Ben with an expression the latter couldn't read, before he continued. "Well, you will probably see the Bakers on more than one occasion. They like to socialize."

#

Ben went back to his room in very high spirits. He gathered his men and handed out schedules for them to copy, and told them (some of) what he had talked to Colonel Simmons about. They were to take over patrolling the streets after Major Davenport's men, and Ben would take a small group off schedule to do other assignments occasionally.  
This afternoon they were to meet with Major Davenport and his troops to gather all the information they needed to protect the town in the best way possible.  
He also told them that when they were not on schedule, the time was completely their own, as long as they would stay in Philadelphia. If they needed to go further away, they would have to run it by him first. He needed to know where to find them, at all times.  
He knew that he was much softer on his men than most other officers were, but he also knew that when he needed them, they would be there. They wouldn't stab him in the back because he treated them bad. On the contrary, they always had his back, because he treated them with respect.


	26. Invited to a Ball

**# 26 - Invited to a Ball**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben moved into his new house only one day after Major Davenport had moved out. Most things in the house were stationary, and Davenport had had time to prepare his departure, so there was not much to do, when he had left. Colonel Simmons had ordered someone to clean it, but as there was always a maid in the house, who kept it clean at all times, there hadn't been much to do, so Ben was able to move right in.  
He wasn't used to having a maid cook his meals, and he found it a little peculiar to have someone cook just for him, but he also knew that without the maid, he would probably end up living of bread and cheese bought just around the corner. He didn't exactly know much about cooking, as he had never had to cook, before he joined the army. What they taught them there wasn't even worth mentioning.

The first couple of days in his new home - a small, two-story house in the center of town - he had enough to do setting up his study and getting to know his way around the neighborhood. He consulted with Simmons rather often, and he quickly found out that the colonel was very easy to talk to, and that he didn't care that much about titles. At least not as long as they were only officers present. They became better acquainted, and Ben enjoyed the company of someone else than his subordinates.  
He longed for someone else's company, though, but he hadn't screwed up the courage to call on her yet. This was Philadelphia, not the army camp. He had to preserve etiquette.

On one of Simmons' visits to Ben's new home, he only just stepped inside, before he handed Ben a letter, while taking off his wet coat. Apparently, it was raining outside.  
"What's this?" Ben asked. He didn't recognize the seal.  
"An invitation." Simmons replied and hung his coat on a rack.  
Ben opened the letter expectantly and found an invitation to a ball from someone he hadn't even heard of yet – a Mr. and Mrs. Austin.  
"I asked the Austins to invite the new major in town. They have a daughter, so they didn't hesitate."  
"A daughter? What's that got to do with me?" Ben asked confused.  
"A young daughter. Unmarried." He explained and rolled his eyes. "Tallmadge, sometimes I wonder if you like girls at all? You haven't… _seen_ …anyone since you arrived, have you?"  
"No." Ben said and blushed. "I've been busy."  
"Well, why don't I sent for a couple of young ladies to entertain us tonight, then? On me, of course."  
"No!" Ben exclaimed horrified. Then he tried to calm his voice. "Thank you, Colonel, but that won't be necessary."  
"Maybe not, but it'd be fun."  
"I'd rather not…"  
"You don't know what's good for you, Tallmadge." Colonel Simmons chuckled. "Or maybe you've already got someone waiting for you?"  
"No, I don't. I just don't…" Ben knew that his cheeks were a very dark pink by now. "Can we talk about something else?"  
"Oh, we've caught ourselves a prude, have we?" The colonel laughed. "This is going to be so much fun!"  
"Oh Lord, no!" Ben sighed to himself and rolled his eyes. Simmons heard him and it only made him laugh even louder.

#

On the night of the ball, Ben felt rather nervous. He also had butterflies in his stomach, even though he had no idea if Lavinia would be there. The chances probably weren't very good.  
He dressed up in his uniform as usually, making sure it was neat and tidy, and he shined his boots. When Colonel Simmons came to pick him up in his carriage, there wasn't much more he could do to improve his appearance. He knew he was rather plain looking, especially compared to the tall and fair Simmons, who – he was sure – would get all the attention from the ladies. But what did he care, anyway? He only wanted the attention of one lady, and he didn't even know if she was going to be there.

When they arrived at the Austins' place, Simmons introduced him to their host and hostess, who in return introduced him to their daughter, Miss Grace Austin. She was beautiful, Ben supposed, but she came nowhere close to Lavinia. Her parents very quickly left the two of them to themselves, though keeping an eye on them from a distance. Ben had no idea what to say, nor how to get away from Miss Austin, but, fortunately, Simmons came to his rescue.  
"Tallmadge, there's someone I need to introduce you to." He said with a hand on Ben's shoulder.  
"Of course, Colonel." He said relieved and excused himself. The girl looked disappointed, but Ben was grateful for the interruption.  
"You really are no good with the ladies, are you?" Simmons whispered as they walked towards a man surrounded by men and women at a more advanced age. "You asked about Mr. Baker. Now let me introduce you to him."  
Mr. Baker? That would be Lavinia's uncle. Was she here? Ben quickly turned around to scan the room, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

"Ah, Colonel Simmons!" Mr. Baker greeted Simmons heartily. "Who's your young companion?"  
"Mr. Baker, let me introduce you to Major Tallmadge. I believe you've corresponded?"  
"Tallmadge." Mr. Baker said and looked perplexed for a few moments. Then his face lit up. "Yes, I believe we have. I hear honorable things about you, Major."  
"Thank you, sir." Ben said nervously, but he did manage to give a small smile.  
"Augusta, there's someone here you should meet." Mr. Baker said to the woman next to him. She had her back turned against them, as she was talking to a small group of women and not paying much attention to her husband. Ben quickly searched the group of women for Lavinia, but he didn't find her.  
"Who is it, my dear?" Mrs. Baker – or Augusta – said as she turned around.  
"This would be Major Tallmadge, who arranged for Lavinia to come stay with us."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Ben said with a courteous bow at her.  
"The pleasure's all mine." She replied before looking around for something or someone. "Thomas, where did that girl go to? Does she know that Major Tallmadge is here? She would want to meet you, Major. She speaks very highly of you."  
Ben's heart skipped a beat. She was here, and she wanted to see him!  
"Oh, there she is." Augusta said and beckoned with her hand to someone behind Ben to come over. Ben turned around on the spot and watched as the girl of his dreams dropped dead in her tracks at the sight of him. The sight of _her_ took his breath away completely, and for a moment he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stand upright. He felt the adrenaline pump through his veins as her face lit up in a bright smile.  
She was, without compare, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


	27. An Unforgettable Night

**# 27 - An Unforgettable Night**

 _Ben's POV_

"Major Tallmadge!" Lavinia greeted Ben with a very happy expression on her face.  
"Miss Bainbridge!" Ben said feeling just as happy as she looked, and took the hand she reached out to him. She was wearing white gloves to her dark blue dress, which made her look like a high society lady, Ben thought when looking up at her, probably taking too long to place a kiss on her hand.  
"You've met my aunt and uncle?" She said with a smile, as he let go of her hand again.  
Ben looked at the Bakers, who were watching them. Augusta Baker was wearing a big smile.  
"Yes, I have." He smiled back at her. "I trust you're doing well?"  
"Yes, thank you. Very well. Although… Philadelphia does get a little boring at times."  
"I can't imagine why." Ben said and offered her his arm, checking with her aunt and uncle if it was okay. They didn't object. On the contrary, Mr. Baker looked as if he was glad that someone was entertaining his niece, and Mrs. Baker practically beamed.  
"Well, first of all, the soldiers here don't go to battle. There's no need to worry about their safety."  
"Mm-hm…" Ben said very pleased with that answer.  
"Secondly, I don't get to go on horseback rides."  
"We can arrange that." Ben said and added. "That is, if your aunt and uncle would allow it?"  
"Well, it's really not up to them now that my father is here."  
"Your father is here?"  
"Yes. Well, not here, but at home. I mean, at my aunt and uncle's home."  
"Is he alright?"  
"Yes. Or… He will be. And I can't thank you enough for helping him. I'll be forever grateful."  
"No need to. I'm just happy that I was able to help."  
"If he knew you were here, he would want to meet you."  
"You think so?"  
"I know so. He would want to thank you personally for everything that you've done for our family."  
"I haven't really done anything."  
"You have done more than anyone could ever ask."  
"Then let me ask you something in return…"  
"Yes?"  
"Would you do me the honor of dancing the first dance with me, Miss Bainbridge?"  
"It's Lavinia when no one's listening." She corrected him with a small smile. "And I'm afraid I already promised it to someone else, before I knew you were here."  
"Oh." Ben said disappointed. She, too, looked disappointed. "Then… The next dance, perhaps?"  
"The next dance will be yours." She said and gave his hand a squeeze. "Till then?"  
"Yeah." He replied, as a man a little older than Ben came to lead her to the dance floor. "Till then."

"So you _are_ good with the ladies!" Simmons chuckled as he came over to Ben. The latter was still standing where Lavinia had left him a couple of minutes ago. He was watching her, though trying not to be too creepy about it. "Or should I say _the_ lady?"  
"Say whatever you want." Ben said and finally took his eyes off her. "Isn't she the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?"  
Simmons pretended to evaluate her for a moment, before looking back at Ben.  
"She's not bad, but I've seen finer."  
"I haven't." Ben replied. "And I believe they don't exist."  
"My God, you're smitten!" Simmons laughed. "And I was beginning to think that you didn't like ladies at all!"  
Ben shot him an annoyed glance, but before he came up with a clever reply, the dance had ended, and his face lit up.  
"Let me guess?" Simmons teased. "The next dance is yours? Is that what the eager face means?"  
Ben rolled his eyes and left Simmons. From one Caleb to the other!

He went to find Lavinia, who was waiting for him and for the next dance.  
"Are you okay, or do you need to catch your breath before we dance?" Ben asked Lavinia, though he knew the answer just by looking at her face.  
"I'm fine, thank you, and you promised me this dance." She replied and reached out her hand to him. He took it, and they joined the other couples on the dance floor.  
At this time of the evening, it was still a slow dance, so every now and then, they had a chance to say a few words to each other.  
"So, Major, how do you find Philadelphia?" Lavinia asked with a smile as they circled each other hand to hand.  
"I find it very enchanting, Miss Bainbridge." Ben replied with a fond look at her. The light from the chandeliers reflected in her eyes, and, once again, Ben found himself almost breathless just by being near her.  
"I'm beginning to like it, too." She replied. "From tonight, that is."  
For a split second, Ben thought he felt her fingers beginning to lace with his, but then the dance made them part, and the feeling had gone. The butterflies hadn't, though.  
He tried to collect his thoughts, but after another moment, he was back with her, holding her hand in his. He automatically caressed her gloved hand with his thumb without thinking about it, and when he noticed his mistake, he also noticed her staring intensely at him. She was breathing heavily, when the dance forced them apart once again.  
A moment later, the dance was over, and he took her hand and led her away from the dance floor, when new couples found their way to it.  
"Would you like a refreshment, Miss Bainbridge?" Ben asked not wanting to part with her yet.  
"No one else can hear you, Ben." She teased instead of replying.  
"Let me rephrase…" Ben said with an amused smile. "Would you like a refreshment, _Lavinia_?"  
"Yes, please, that would be nice." She smiled back at him.

As they walked across the room, Lavinia holding on to Ben's arm, they passed her aunt and uncle.  
They looked as if they had been waiting for them and now wanted to say something.  
"Lavinia!" Augusta called her name and beckoned her over. Ben followed.  
"Your uncle and I were just talking…" She began. Mr. Baker was looking very pleased with the situation. "We think your father would want to meet the young gentleman who saved his life. How would you like it, if we asked him to come dine with us tomorrow night?" Then she leaned closer to Ben as to tell him a secret. "Yes, that young gentleman would be you, Major."  
Ben didn't really know how to react, so he just smiled and waited for Lavinia to reply.  
"I'd like that very much!" She exclaimed and looked up at Ben. Her eyes were practically sparkling.  
"And you, Major Tallmadge?" Augusta asked expectantly.  
"I'm very honored, ma'am." He replied trying not to stumble too much on his words. "I would like that very much, thank you."  
"Well, that's settled, then. I'll have Thomas send the carriage for you. You don't have one yourself, I would assume? You soldiers tend to ride, don't you?"  
"Yes, my troops mostly ride. And thank you. That's very kind of you."  
"Oh, nonsense. Of course we'll send the carriage."

Though Ben wanted to, he couldn't occupy Lavinia all evening, so after the refreshment, he encouraged her to go with another young lady who sought her company. She didn't seem very keen on going, but he made her promise him another dance again later.  
"Finally! A chance to talk to you again!" He heard Simmons' voice behind him. The colonel put a hand on Ben's shoulder and made him turn around. "There are a couple of ladies in need of a dance partner." He continued and pointed his head in direction of a group of four young women, who were watching the couples dancing.  
"You don't mean that?" Ben sighed. Not because there was anything wrong with the women. He just didn't feel like dancing with anyone but Lavinia.  
"Of course I mean it. We're the only officers here, and they know me already. They're all dying to dance with you."  
"I have to?"  
"Well… It would be the proper thing to do. And though we've only known each other for a short while, I know that you always do the proper thing."  
Ben sighed again.  
"Come on, you may even make the lady jealous. One dance with each of the young ladies over there? I'll do my duty as well." Simmons reasoned.  
"One dance with each of them?"  
"Yes, and I won't bother you anymore."  
"Alright." Ben finally agreed. "But only because I'm in a good mood tonight."  
"I hadn't noticed." Simmons laughed and walked towards the young women.

He quickly introduced them to Ben, and a moment later, the latter found himself dancing with a Miss Hawthorne. She was blonde, and probably considered beautiful, but Ben found her very boring. To be fair, he probably didn't seem very interesting himself, as he wasn't in the mood for conversing with her, though he was being a bit impolite.  
When dancing with the next girl, he noticed Lavinia out of the corner of his eye. She was standing with her friend, the young woman who had sought her company before, and she was watching the dance floor. Ben caught her eye just as a young man walked up to her and seemed to be asking for a dance. Apparently, she accepted, and a moment later, she walked to the dance floor with him.  
"One more dance, miss?" Ben asked the girl he was dancing with, as the orchestra finished the tune and began playing a new one. He didn't remember her name. She nodded eagerly and looked at him with a much too happy expression on her face. Ben didn't pay her much attention, though, as his mind was elsewhere tonight.

Lavinia was dancing with the young gentleman, who was a much better dancer than Ben would ever be. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and though it wasn't fair of him, Ben couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous. He was dancing with a beautiful girl himself, and all he wanted to do was switch places with the young man. Every now and then, he would catch Lavinia's eye, and she would smile at him. She seemed happy. He just hoped it wasn't because of her dance partner.  
When the music stopped, and Ben was supposed to ask the third girl for a dance, he walked straight to Lavinia and the young man instead.  
"Excuse me." He said and made him turn around. He was obviously expecting another dance from Lavinia.  
"Yes?" He asked puzzled.  
"I believe this dance is mine." Ben said and reached out his hand to Lavinia.  
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Hastings." Lavinia said to the young man. "I forgot. I promised this dance to Major Tallmadge."  
Ben hid a smile at this.  
"Oh, maybe later, then?" Mr. Hastings asked.  
"Maybe later." Lavinia replied and took Ben's hand.  
"Thank you." He whispered before the first note sounded.  
"Thank _you_." She replied with a secretive smile at him. He sighed with content and briefly closed his eyes, before the next dance began.

They didn't speak much during that dance, but lots of glances and smiles were exchanged. Ben had a feeling that they were being watched, but he didn't care. He just wanted to enjoy his time with Lavinia, and for one night pretend that he had a chance with her.  
"Would you care for some fresh air?" He asked her, when the music stopped again. The air inside was rather warm and stuffy by now.  
"Yes, please. That would be nice." She said and followed him onto the balcony.  
Although they were not alone, it was quieter out here, and the air was clear and chilly. Ben took a deep breath and leaned against the railing with his arm and hand resting on it. Lavinia leaned against it, too, taking off her gloves.  
"I'm sorry if this is improper." She smiled and looked up at him. "But these gloves are so hot and sticky. You should be happy that you don't have to wear them."  
"Oh, I should have offered you a refreshment after the dance." Ben said and considered leaving the balcony to go get her a glass of wine. "Do you want me to go get you something?"  
"No, please, stay!" Lavinia said and put her hand on his in a swift motion. For a moment, Ben felt paralyzed, but then his fingers started playing with hers, lacing with them. She looked down at their hands, surprised, but she didn't remove hers. Butterflies were all over Ben's stomach, when she finally looked up at him again from under her long, dark eyelashes.  
"Lavinia?" Augusta Baker's voice interrupted their intimate moment, and the two of them immediately withdrew from one another.  
"Yes, Aunt Augusta." Lavinia replied looking at the floor.  
Augusta didn't seem to have noticed anything, and Ben sighed with relief. He didn't want to get into bad standing with her aunt and uncle.  
"It's time to go home, my dear." She said and motioned for Lavinia to go with her. "You should say goodnight to Major Tallmadge."  
Lavinia hesitated, but then she obeyed.  
"Goodnight, Major." She said with a courteous bow of her head.  
"Goodnight, Miss Bainbridge." Ben replied and took her hand, placing a kiss on it. He breathed in deeply as he did so, trying to memorize the sweet scent of her. When he let go again, she was looking at him fondly. His heart almost melted. He didn't want to let her go yet.  
"Goodnight, Major Tallmadge." Augusta brought him back to reality. "We'll be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening."  
And with that she walked off with the girl that Ben now knew that he could no longer live without.


	28. Dining with the Bakers

**AN:** Thank you so much for the reviews, the follows, the favourites and the author follows! Enjoy the last of the story and, please, leave a review so I'll have a chance to know what you think. Thank you. :)

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 **# 28 - Dining with the Bakers**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben's stomach was filled with butterflies the next day. He couldn't concentrate on anything, and he counted the hours until the carriage would come for him. Simmons laughed at him, and Ben couldn't help thinking how different this was from being in the field. His superiors there would never have encouraged him to neglect his duties the way that Simmons did, and he had a feeling that Washington didn't know how things were in Philadelphia. It may have been Ben's duty to tell him this, but today he couldn't gather his thoughts on anything but the forthcoming dinner at the Bakers' residence.

He had been ready for hours, when the carriage finally arrived. Two impressive dapple-grey horses pulled it up in front of the house, while he hurried down the stairs a little too eagerly. He slowed down and tried to calm himself when getting into the carriage, but when it arrived at the Bakers' place, after a much too long drive, he was the opposite of calm. His hands were sweaty, and he had gained a stomachache. He was much more nervous than he would like to admit, and so he almost stumbled out from the carriage. At that moment he was grateful that no one had come to receive him yet.  
The house was much larger than he had expected. The Bakers were obviously more than _somewhat important to the town_ , as Simmons had put it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in a manor house like this, with huge stables, a large courtyard and green areas all around.  
Ben walked up the stairs to the door, which was opened by a servant, who asked him inside.  
Lavinia was the first one of the family to receive him. She wasn't waiting in the hall, but she very quickly got there.  
"Major Tallmadge." She said and slowed her pace a bit with a glance at the servant. "It's a pleasure to see you again tonight."  
She walked over to Ben and let him take her hand. He kissed it and wanted to hold onto it, but Mr. Baker came out into the hall at that very moment.  
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Miss Bainbridge." Ben replied and then tried to focus on Mr. Baker.  
"Major Tallmadge. Come on in!" The latter said and motioned for him to come inside. "Lavinia's father will be right with us."  
"My father's not quite well yet." Lavinia explained. "Prison hasn't been kind to him."  
"I'm sorry to hear that." Ben said and meant it.  
"Thank you. He's getting better every day, though."  
"There you are, Major!" It was Augusta greeting him from another room.  
"Mrs. Baker." Ben said with a smile and a nod.  
"Mr. Bainbridge is waiting for us in the parlor." She said in a low voice. "He has to sit down and rest a lot."  
They heard a cough from the room that Augusta had just left, and Lavinia urged Ben to follow.

Her father looked up from his armchair, as they entered the room, and though he was very skinny and sickly to look at, Ben immediately recognized Lavinia's eyes. And Lawrence's. His eyes were intelligent and kind in the same way as his children's were and had been.  
"Father, this is Major Tallmadge, who got you out of prison." Lavinia introduced Ben, obviously trying to put in a good word for him in advance. She seemed almost nervous, Ben noticed.  
"Major Tallmadge!" Her father said and reached out his hand to him.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Ben replied and took his hand, careful not to shake it too violently.  
"The pleasure is all mine." Mr. Bainbridge replied. "I'm very grateful for everything you've done for my family."  
"I'm only glad to be of any help." Ben said a little uncomfortably.  
"You know, my son always spoke very highly of you." Mr. Bainbridge continued. "And so does my daughter."  
Ben glanced at Lavinia before looking back to her father. Was she blushing?  
"I always held your son in high regard as well, Mr. Bainbridge. As I do your daughter." He glanced at Lavinia again. She was definitely blushing.  
"I'm sorry to interrupt." Augusta said coming from the hall. Ben hadn't noticed that she had left. "Dinner is served."

Lavinia helped her dad get up, though it seemed to Ben that he was quite capable of getting up on his own. She was obviously worried about him, which was only natural, of course.  
They all went to the dining room and sat down. Ben was placed next to Augusta and opposite of Lavinia. She was sitting next to her father, and as head of the family, Mr. Baker was placed by the top of the table.  
Ben calmed down a little, once the first course had been served, and they began to eat. So far, he had a feeling that things were going well. He had been more nervous to meet Lavinia's father than he had been aware of, but now the stomachache was in decline.  
"So, Major Tallmadge…" Mr. Bainbridge said after a while. He seemed to be doing better after a few spoonfuls of hot soup.  
"Lavinia tells me that you're from Setauket?"  
"I am, sir."  
"Do you happen to know the Walkers? They're relatives of ours."  
"Well, I know _of_ them. I believe I went to some kind of celebration at their place a few times, when I was very young."  
"Lawrence and Lavinia spent a summer there many years ago. My wife was taken ill and couldn't manage a baby for a while. Lavinia was only two, I think."  
"My mother told me about it a while ago." Ben said and noticed Lavinia glancing at him in surprise.  
"You told your mother about me…us?" She asked with a puzzled expression on her face.  
"Uh…well…it was when I was still trying to find out, if you were telling me the truth." Ben said and felt stupid. Then he continued teasingly. "Which you weren't, if I recall correctly."  
"No, I'm afraid I wasn't." She replied and looked at her plate. She was smiling to herself.  
"Lavinia, did you lie to the major?" Augusta asked in a reprimanding voice.  
"I couldn't let him send me back home!" She defended herself, and her father put a calming hand over hers on the table.  
"No. You couldn't. But we will go back, when I'm well again." He said. "You won't be forced to marry anyone."  
Ben quickly looked up at Lavinia, who returned his glance. Was she supposed to leave? She _did_ look a little worried. This could not be happening. Not now, when Ben had just managed to get so close to her, geographically speaking.  
"Maybe she won't have to be forced." Augusta then suggested smugly.  
Her words made Ben look down again, concentrating on his plate. He knew that he was blushing, and the awkward silence afterwards went on forever. Finally, Augusta told the servant that they were ready for the next course, and the awkwardness lifted a bit.

"Miss Bainbridge, have you heard from your mother recently?" Ben tried to strike up conversation again. "She must have been very worried about you."  
"I have, thank you, Major." Lavinia replied. "She _was_ worried, but she was also angry with me for knocking out my cousin before I left."  
"Lavinia!" Augusta reprimanded. Obviously, she was not supposed to mention that particular incident with strangers present.  
"Oh, really?" She complained. "Ben…I mean, Major Tallmadge…knows it all, anyway. It's the reason why he let me go to Philadelphia."  
Augusta uttered a barely strangled sound of discontent, and Mr. Baker shot Lavinia an indignant glance. Ben caught her eye for a short moment and then looked down with a small, amused smile.  
"I hope your mother doesn't worry anymore?" Ben continued as if nothing had happened, and looked up again.  
"No, she doesn't. She's looking forward to have us both home again." Lavinia replied.  
Mr. Baker looked at Ben with a grateful expression on his face. Somehow, Ben got the feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Baker found Lavinia a little troublesome. Personally, Ben found her very refreshing. And to judge by the look on her father's face, he did, too. He was quiet, but he seemed amused.  
"And when will you go home? Has that been decided yet?"  
Lavinia looked to her father.  
"We will go home, when I'm well enough to travel again." The latter replied. "It may take weeks."  
Weeks. He only had weeks to spend with her?  
"I'm sure Mrs. Bainbridge will be looking very much forward to having you both home again." Ben said and pecked at his food. Suddenly, he didn't feel hungry anymore.  
"Do you officers ever have a chance to go home to your families?" Augusta asked, forcing Ben to concentrate on the conversation rather than on the thought of Lavinia leaving.  
"Yes, once in a while we do. When circumstances allow us to."  
"And… Do you have a family to go home to, Major?" Augusta inquired. She was not exactly being subtle, but Ben pretended not to notice.  
"I have my parents. My brother…" He hesitated at the thought of his beloved brother, Samuel. "My brother died defending our country."  
"I'm very sorry to hear that." Augusta said seriously, and the others mumbled something inaudible, which, Ben assumed, meant the same.  
"Thank you."  
"So many good people lost because of this unnecessary war!" Mr. Baker exclaimed agitatedly. "If only those redcoats would realize that it's _our_ country – not theirs!"  
Ben noticed Lavinia putting a comforting hand on her father's.  
"Well, it certainly would make things a lot easier if we could agree on that." Ben said, trying not to sound too harsh on the British. He didn't want to embarrass Mr. Bainbridge any further for making the wrong decision a long time ago. "But someone reminded me a while ago that there are always two sides to a story. I do hope that they believe in their cause as we do in ours. Otherwise… I think I'd lose faith in humanity."  
Lavinia sent him a grateful smile, and he returned it. She was looking amazing tonight in her green gown and with her hair in some fancy hairdo, which allowed a few curls to fall out of place.  
"Well-spoken, Major." Augusta said with an approving smile at him. "We should all strive to remember that."

"Do you play cards, Major?" Mr. Baker changed the subject. They had almost finished the last course.  
"Not much, I'm afraid." Ben said truthfully.  
"But you do like whiskey?"  
"I do."  
"Good. We'll have whiskey in the parlor, then." Mr. Baker stated. "Lavinia, you should say goodnight to the major before you go up."  
"But…" Lavinia complained, but Augusta sent her a stern glance and she kept quiet.  
Everybody got up, and Lavinia helped her father to his chair in the parlor. Ben stayed in the background, until Lavinia was about to leave. When she came over to him to say goodbye, they were out of ear reach of the others, which had also been Ben's intention.  
"Goodnight, Ben." Lavinia said and sighed. "I'm afraid I have to go."  
"I know. It's been a pleasure. As always."  
"It has." She looked him in the eyes and smiled.  
"You know…" Ben continued. "Remember that you told me to call on you, if I should ever come to Philadelphia?"  
"Yes?"  
"Well, I didn't exactly call on you tonight, did I? So I thought, maybe…"  
"Please do!" She replied happily, and for a moment, her hand reached out for his. He took it, but then he looked to the others, who were watching them, and he let go of it again.  
"I'll be looking forward to it. Goodnight, Lavinia."  
"Goodnight." She replied and placed a peck on his cheek, before she hurried to the hall and up the stairs. Ben stood as paralyzed for a moment, smiling, until he realized that the others would've seen it. However, they suddenly seemed to be otherwise engaged.

Ben had one whiskey with the other two gentlemen before he left that night. It was only half an hour or so after Lavinia had been sent up. He couldn't help but look back, before he entered the carriage. A candle was burning in one of the windows upstairs, and a moment later a silhouette appeared. Ben could tell by the figure that it was Lavinia, so he gave a nod and sent her a smile, though she probably couldn't see it in the dark. She did raise a hand to goodbye, though, and Ben felt the familiar rush of adrenaline through his body, though it was only a raised hand.


	29. A Soldier - Not a Saint

**# 29 - A Soldier - Not a Saint**

 _Lavinia's POV_

Lavinia watched as Ben left the house and got into the carriage to go home that night. She was supposed to be asleep, but how could she possibly go to sleep with Ben in the house? So many thoughts were running through her head, and the feeling inside made it impossible to think of anything else.  
She had had no idea that he was in town, until she had seen him at the ball. She almost hadn't believed her own eyes, when he had turned around to face her, and for a moment, she had been paralyzed. Then he had smiled at her so fondly, and her whole world had been turned upside down. For the rest of the evening she had been almost unable to restrain herself. They had danced and talked, and all she had wanted to do was be alone with him. He had told her that General Washington had sent him to Philadelphia, and though she knew that it had to be true, she didn't believe it to be a coincidence. Not now. Not when she had just gotten here as well. But she didn't complain. She was thrilled about it, and she did her best to let him now.

If she was, indeed, to go home with her father soon, she would have to let Ben know about her feelings, before their departure. If she left before letting him know, would she ever get the chance again? On the other hand, Aunt Augusta seemed a little too pleased to have Ben visiting, so she might ask her to stay a while longer. She had insinuated things during dinner, which had made Lavinia want to bury herself. Though she wished for it, there was no understanding between her and Ben, and Aunt Augusta could as well scare him off, talking like that.  
He didn't seem to be scared off, though. He had been polite when conversing with her family, and he had saved them all from awkward moments a few times. She was happy that he had helped her dad out of an awkward situation during dinner without much effort, and even made an impression on her aunt at the same time. And he had flirted, hadn't he? She was almost positive that he had.  
If it hadn't been for her own feelings, she would've had no doubt, but it was different now. She used to be able to use her femininity to manipulate him, but somehow, she felt the roles were reversed. They had been reversed the moment she had realized that she was in love with him. Well, in her mind they had. She didn't know if he felt it, too, of course.

She knew that everyone had been watching when she had given Ben that peck on the cheek before going upstairs, but she didn't care. She needed to let him know. She would have to endure her aunt's reprimands in the morning. It didn't matter. She would be looking forward to Ben calling on her, which was enough to get her through almost anything.

#

The next morning, Lavinia woke up early. She didn't know when Ben would call upon her, but she hoped, it would be today. At the ball they had talked about going for a horseback ride. Maybe she should call upon him and ask for it? No, that would probably be too bold. They were in Philadelphia now - not in the army camp.

Every time the doorbell rang, Lavinia would be there to receive the visitor, every time hoping to see Ben, just to be disappointed when it wasn't him. She tortured herself like this all day. At lunch she could barely eat a thing, and at dinner she stayed away completely, which made her aunt come to her room later, to see what was wrong.  
She didn't need to ask, though. It was clear to her the moment she opened the door and saw Lavinia pace back and forth between the door and the window, checking if anyone was arriving.  
"Oh, dear…" Aunt Augusta said and beckoned Lavinia to sit down on the bed with her. "Is it Major Tallmadge?" She asked, and Lavinia just nodded and sat down.  
A second later she got up again to go to the window. She thought she heard something outside. She was disappointed again, when it turned out to be Jonas, the coachman, crossing the courtyard with a horse.  
"I don't think you need to worry." Aunt Augusta continued. "He'll call on you soon enough."  
"Soon enough?" Lavinia complained. "How can it ever be soon enough? And you don't know that."  
"I may be getting old, but I'm not blind." Augusta replied with a small, but amused, smile. Lavinia found nothing about the situation amusing.  
"Why don't you turn in early tonight?" Aunt Augusta suggested. "You could do with a good night's sleep. I'll have a cup of tea brought up."  
There was no way Lavinia could sleep in this state, but she didn't tell this to her aunt. The sight of Jonas had given her an idea.  
"Thank you, Aunt Augusta, I will." She lied and sat down in front of her mirror, pretending to want to change.  
"Good. I'll leave you to it, then." Augusta said and did just that.

When the tea had been brought up, and Lavinia knew that she wouldn't be disturbed anymore tonight, she put on her coat and waited for a while, listening. When the house was quiet, she snuck down to the stables and asked Jonas to get the carriage ready. He complained a bit because he hadn't been told in advance, but she used her feminine charm on him, and he quickly gave in.  
When the carriage was ready, she told Jonas to take her to Ben's address, although she knew it was very improper of a lady to pay a visit to a man, who wasn't a relative, at this time of the day. And unaccompanied, too.  
When they arrived, she told Jonas to wait for her, while she went to the door. Her heart was racing, but she had to see Ben. She rang the doorbell, and in a moment, he would be there, right in front of her. But what would she say? She wasn't sure. She just knew that she had to do it.

"Yes?" It was the maid opening the door. For some reason Lavinia hadn't thought of that possibility.  
"Is Major Tallmadge here?" She asked, doing her best to sound confident, though she wasn't.  
"I'm afraid he's out, miss." The maid replied.  
"Oh." Lavinia said disappointedly. She had always thought he was the kind of man who would stay at home at night, go to bed early and say his prayers. But of course - he was a soldier, not a saint.  
"Do you know where I might find him?" She asked after considering her options. She could either go home and wait in misery, or she could try to find him. At least she would then be doing something and making time pass, until she would see him again.  
"I think he went to the tavern with Mr. Simmons." The maid replied reluctantly. "The one across the square three streets from here. But I doubt it's a place for a lady."  
"Thank you!" Lavinia said with a smile at the maid and hurried back to the carriage. She didn't care if it was no place for a lady. She needed to find him. She could barely breathe without him, and she needed to let him know. Tonight.


	30. The Liquor Talking

**# 30 - The Liquor Talking**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben thought it too soon to call upon Lavinia the day after he had dined at the Bakers' residence, but he was very restless, so Simmons rather easily persuaded him to go have a drink with him at a nearby tavern that night. Many of Ben's own men were already at there, when they arrived, but to his great satisfaction, he only saw the ones who weren't on schedule tonight.  
"Major!" One of them exclaimed lifting his mug to greet him. Others followed suit. They seemed to be in very high spirits, although it wasn't that late yet.  
Ben and Simmons sat down at a table, and the latter beckoned the barmaid to bring them two mugs of beer. Simmons downed the first one very quickly, and Ben didn't want his men to take him for a sissy, so he followed Simmons' example. The barmaid filled their mugs immediately, and so they never ran out of beer.  
The spirit in the tavern was high, and there was a lot of noise. Some of the soldiers were singing improper songs and shooting glances at the young women wearing very indecent clothing, who began circling the tables.

After some time and a lot of beer, the noise grew to new heights, and the girls became more and more daring. Some of the soldiers disappeared for a while, and so did the women. Some of them came back, and some of them didn't.  
Ben was beginning to feel slightly drunk, when one of the girls came over to him. She was wearing a skirt somewhat shorter than what a real lady would've worn, and her neck opening was much too low to be decent. She put her hands around Ben's neck and tried to sit on his lap. He laughed and pushed her away, very well aware of the fact that his men had asked her to try her luck with him.  
A moment later, there were two girls all over him, and he very politely told them to leave him alone. He was still amused by his men's attempt to embarrass him. If he had been completely sober, he probably would've been extremely embarrassed, but he was in a good mood, and the men were having fun.  
The girls were persistent, however, and suddenly one of them was sitting on his lap, and the other whispering something in his ear and "accidentally" touching it with her tongue at the same time. He shook his head to avoid the tongue in his ear, but a third girl put her arms around his neck from behind him, and he was unable to brush them all aside at the same time.  
"Uh… Tallmadge?" Simmons said with a nod at the door and an alarmed look on his face.  
Ben managed to turn his head, though one of the girls was trying to kiss him when he did so, and saw Lavinia standing in the doorway, looking at him. Contempt was written all over her face, and Ben jumped to his feet, violently brushing aside the whores. They complained, but he didn't care.  
Lavinia turned around on the spot and hurried outside, and Ben followed as quickly as he could with girls still trying to get in his way. When he got out in the street, Lavinia was running for her carriage, not turning around to look at him.  
"Lavinia! Please, stop!" He called, but she didn't listen. He ran after her, but she got into the carriage, and the coachman made the horses hurry homewards.

Oh, God, no! This was not supposed to happen. Ben tried to gather his thoughts, but he couldn't. He was drunk and paralyzed from the shock, and he had no idea what to do. He needed to talk to her, to explain to her what was going on, but how?  
"If you love her, you gotta tell her." Simmons' voice reached him from behind. Ben turned around. "Clearly, she feels the same way about you. Otherwise she wouldn't be at a dirty tavern with drunken soldiers, looking for you."  
"I know I should." Ben said and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. He was trying to clear his head, but the thought of the contempt on her face tackled him and left him bleeding on the ground. At least that was how he felt.  
"What're you waiting for? You know where she lives?"  
"I can't just… It's late. I can't call on her at this hour."  
"Who said anything about calling on her? My guess is… She'll be waiting for you."  
And suddenly Ben knew what to do. He needed to find a horse and go to her. He didn't know what to say to her yet, but he would have time to figure that out on the way.  
"Thanks." He said without looking at Simmons. He was caught up in his thoughts, and a moment later he hurried towards the stables for his horse.

#

All windows were dark, when Ben finally reached the Bakers' residence. However, he very much doubted that everyone was asleep yet. He jumped off his horse and left it behind, without taking the time to tether it. Then he picked up a few pebbles from the courtyard and walked over the lawn towards the window, which he knew was in Lavinia's bedchamber. He stopped and listened, but no sound came from the house.  
Then he threw the first pebble, and it hit the window with a much too piercing sound. No reaction came, so he threw another. A few moments later, he thought he saw the flickering of a light in the room. Someone came to the window carrying a candle. Thank God, that someone was Lavinia! He beckoned for her to come down, but he wasn't sure if she could see him. The moon was up, so there was a chance.  
She left the window and took the candle with her. A few seconds later, everything was dark again.

Now what? Had she gone back to bed, or was she coming downstairs?  
He waited a few minutes, until he heard a sound from the kitchen entrance in the gable. He walked round to the door, just as Lavinia came outside.  
"What're you doing here?" She whispered putting her arms around herself to keep warm. She was in her nightgown with only a robe around her.  
"You're freezing!" Ben exclaimed and started taking off his coat.  
"No. Don't." She stopped him with a shake of her head.  
"Lavinia…" He began, reaching out to take her hand. She pulled back, and it hurt him more than he had ever thought possible.  
"What you saw at the tavern… It was not what it looked like."  
"You really don't have to explain." She replied frostily. Or maybe hurt. "What you do is none of my business."  
"But it is. And I didn't do anything. It was just my men trying to embarrass me."  
"I really don't know why you're telling me this." She said, but Ben thought he heard a waver in her voice.  
"I'm telling you this, because I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me."  
"Ben…" She sighed and shivered from the cold. He immediately took off his coat and put it on her. This time, she didn't object.  
"Look, Lavinia, I don't want you to think that I…have other women." Ben continued. "I don't, and I never have. I'm not that kind of man. I mean, you know me. Even if I wanted to, I'd be way too shy. But I don't want to. I only want you. And I can't think about anything but you." Alright, so the alcohol was definitely talking. "I can't stand to be away from you, and I know I've got nothing to offer you, but I love you. I have for a while, and…"  
"Ben, is this a proposal?" Lavinia interrupted him. She was frowning, but a small smile was playing upon her face, and her eyes were sparkling in the moonlight.  
Ben took a deep breath.  
"No, not yet. But if you would come with me for a moment…" He said and took her hand. She followed him willingly.

Butterflies rose in Ben's stomach, and he felt the adrenaline – mixed with the alcohol – rush through his body, when he led her round to the garden.  
"Is there a bench somewhere?"  
"Over there." Lavinia said and pointed to a small group of trees. Ben led her there and made her sit down.  
"Lavinia…" He tried, then he sat down next to her. She gave him an encouraging smile. It couldn't be too bad. "I know we haven't known each other for that long, but I think we've come to know each other pretty well. I mean, you're definitely the only woman I've ever had a sleepover with alone in the woods." Lavinia casually laced her fingers with his and made him gasp a little, before he continued.  
"I haven't talked to your father yet… I didn't know I would be seeing you tonight, but… You make me want to be a better man…"  
"That's hardly possible."  
"Would you, please, not interrupt? I'm nervous enough as it is. And I should probably get down on my knee for this…"  
"Ben…" Lavinia said and put her free hand to his cheek. "I love you, too."  
She reached out and kissed him, and though Ben wasn't thinking clearly, he responded immediately and kissed her back. At first their lips only just touched, but then Ben pulled her closer and kissed her passionately, making her lips part just enough to really taste her. A moment later he pulled back. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins.  
"Does that mean you'll marry me?" He asked looking into her eyes. They were very close, but he could still see the stars reflecting in them.  
"Of course I'll marry you." She smiled happily. "Why else would I go into a dirty tavern full of drunken soldiers just to see you again?"  
Ben smiled at this. Simmons had been right.  
"And you believe me when I say that I didn't actually do anything with those women?"  
Lavinia chuckled.  
"Ben, you blush at the mere sight of a woman's skin." She teased. "Of course you weren't doing anything with them!"  
"I'm really that bad?"  
"A hopeless case, I'm afraid."  
"Oh, shut up!" He said and pulled her closer to kiss her again.  
"But you're _my_ hopeless case!" She added, right before he closed her mouth with his.

#

For a long time they sat on the bench kissing and talking and then kissing some more. Ben could hardly believe it was finally happening, and he had to pinch his arm a couple of times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  
"Why do you keep doing that?" Lavinia asked when he did it a third time. She touched his arm where he had pinched it, softly caressing it with her thumb.  
"Because I can't believe you'll actually have me." Ben replied with a shy glance at her.  
"Of course I'll have you!" Lavinia exclaimed in surprise. "I'm the one who should be worried!"  
"What? Why is that?" Ben exclaimed just as surprised.  
"Because…" She looked away as she continued. "Maybe you only love me because I've been…"  
"Because you've been what?"  
"Because I've been flirting with you and teasing you and, I don't know… I thought, maybe, you weren't used to… No, it's coming out wrong… I mean…"  
"Because I've never been with a woman before? Is that it? You thought I'd only have you because I didn't know any better?"  
"Well, yes…" She said, still not looking at him.  
"Lavinia…" Ben sighed. "Look at me!"  
She did.  
"I _have_ had other…opportunities. But no one ever came close to you. But it's true that I don't know any better, 'cause there _is_ no better!"  
"Do you really mean that?" She was smiling, though still looking a bit shy.  
"Of course I mean that." He said and kissed her. Then he broke away from it and looked at her with a sly smile. "You're one to talk."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a frown.  
"It means…that I was afraid you only liked me because I helped you and your family."  
"Seriously?"  
"Yeah. I thought, maybe, you felt obliged to me, or something."  
"Well, I do, but that's not the reason why I'm here now."  
"Are you 100% sure about that?"  
"Yes! Of course I'm sure!" She almost rolled her eyes at him.  
"Well, now that we've got that settled… Can I call on your father tomorrow?"  
"I'd very much like you to." She smiled very close to Ben's face.  
"Good. Now, where were we?" He said and kissed her again.


	31. Asking for Her Hand

**# 31 - Asking for Her Hand**

 _Ben's POV_

Ben was not exactly well rested, when he showed up at the Bakers' doorstep the next morning. He and Lavinia had been sitting in the garden until quite late, but in the end, they had both gone back to their respective beds. He hadn't been able to fall asleep, as tonight's events kept going round and round in his head. He saw her face before him, and he felt her kiss him and touch him in ways that were probably considered improper, although they had both been fully clothed the whole time. Well, if a nightgown and robe can be considered fully clothed.  
He had waited until the morning to get up and take a bath and put on a clean uniform. Then he had shined his boots, and for a long time he had paced back and forth through the house, until he thought it late enough to call on Lavinia's father.

As he was standing on the doorstep, waiting for the servant to let him in, he felt nauseous with nerves. What if her father disapproved? If he refused to give them their blessing? Would she run off with him anyway? He didn't want her to have to, but if it was their only chance to be together? Would she leave her family behind a second time?  
"Major Tallmadge." It was Mr. Baker who opened the door.  
"Good morning, Mr. Baker." Ben said with a nervous cough. "I'd like to… I'd like to speak with Mr. Bainbridge, please?"  
"Of course. We've been expecting you, though not this soon." Mr. Baker replied with confusion written on his face.  
They had been expecting him? What did that mean?  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is it too early? I can come back later?" Ben said not sure, he understood.  
"No. No, come on in." Mr. Baker chuckled and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He's in the parlor. I think he's reading."  
"Thank you." Ben said and only just remembered to take off his hat.  
Mr. Baker showed him to the parlor. He caught a glimpse of Lavinia at the top of the stairs before they left the hall. She smiled encouragingly at him. It made his heart melt.

"Mr. Bainbridge." Ben greeted her father as they met again. The latter moved as to get up from the chair. "No, please, don't get up."  
Mr. Baker left the room, closing the door discreetly behind him. The nausea grew stronger, and for a moment, Ben thought the whole world was spinning.  
"Major Tallmadge." Mr. Bainbridge chuckled. "Are you also this nervous when you go to battle?"  
"Uh… No, sir." Ben replied, somewhat calmed by the fact that Mr. Bainbridge seemed to be in a good mood.  
"Then spill it. I can't stand the sight of you in such agony, son."  
Son?  
"Sir, I have come to…" He breathed in deeply. "…To ask for your daughter's hand in marriage. I know I'm not wealthy, and I can't offer her a big, fancy house. I don't even know where we'll live…"  
"Yes, yes. Enough of that. She's not one to marry for money or status, and neither should she. Has she accepted?"  
"Uh, yes, sir. She has."  
"Then you have my blessing." He said and tried to get up.  
"No, don't get up!" Ben said anxiously, but he got up anyway.  
"I'm not dead yet, son. In fact, I'm feeling wonderful today." He put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "My only daughter engaged to a respectable man… Thank you. That cousin of hers… He would never have made her happy. But the way she looks at you? I'd wish my wife would look at me in that way once in a while!"  
"Thank you, sir." Ben said a little impatiently. "May I go and tell her the good news?"  
"You may, Benjamin. And please, bring her here for me to congratulate her!"  
"Thank you, sir."

#

"So, have you done it, yet?"  
"No, Caleb, we have not."  
"Poor girl. I bet she's waiting for you to make the first move."  
"Caleb…" Ben sighed. "We're not married yet."  
"No, and if you're not careful, you never will be. No girl wants a husband who can't get it on."  
"Caleb, mind your own business." Ben rolled his eyes. "Don't you have a message to deliver, or something?"  
"I delivered it to you yesterday." Caleb replied innocently.  
"Don't you have one to take back to Washington?"  
"I don't recall you giving me one?"  
Ben sighed again. He _had_ given him one, but he had been stupid enough to tell him that he didn't need to hurry, because it was not that important. He almost regretted, though it _was_ awfully nice to have his best friend in town for a couple of days.

Someone was at the door, and Caleb followed Ben as he went to open it. Usually, the maid would get the door, but he had sent her home for the rest of the day.  
"Lavinia!" Ben exclaimed happily, as he saw her on the doorstep. She smiled and signaled to the coachman that he could leave.  
"Miss Bainbridge." Caleb said politely and kissed her hand very slowly, making Ben roll his eyes at him. "I know you've traveled a long way to see me, but I'm afraid there's somewhere I need to be."  
"It's always nice to see you, Caleb." Lavinia replied. "But, believe it or not, I'm here to see my future husband."  
Ben sent Caleb a triumphant smile and mock-slapped the back of his head.  
"Go away, Brewster." He said and took Lavinia's hand, pulling her inside.  
"Well, when you get bored of him, I'll be at the tavern." Caleb told Lavinia with a small smile and then closed the door behind him.

Ben immediately pulled Lavinia close and kissed her. Passionately.  
"Where's the maid?" She asked when withdrawing to catch her breath.  
"I sent her home earlier. I didn't expect any visitors."  
"What a shame." Lavinia feigned indifference. Then she traced her finger up Ben's hip, pulling out the hem of his shirt from his pants.  
"What're you doing?" He whispered and felt her hand on the bare skin underneath his shirt. He could feel his heart beat faster.  
"I'm making you my husband." She replied in a whisper so close to his ear that he could feel her warm breath tickling it.  
That was too much to take, even for the reverend's son, and he finally gave in. They were, after all, husband-and-wife-to-be.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **AN:** I hope you enjoyed reading this little story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please, leave a review! :)

Thanks for sticking with me to the very end!

~ Miss Sofie


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